Humpback Whale in The Thames.

[lol geoff]

I don't know if this has already been posted but it's another sad ending for another majestic whale in the Thames. Here is the the local paper Kent Online's story on it.

I often see seals in the river in this area but to have a wild animal of this size just 15 miles from the centre of London seems quite surreal.

[Wild-Woman]

Yes saw this. Very sad indeed. Let's hope the post mortem gave the scientists a bit of an idea as to why this is happening to these great mammals.

[loripo]

I saw the whale that came up the Thames to Battersea in 2006. The creature was so obviously in distress that I thought it would have been kinder to leave it alone rather than try to wrestle it into the slings. I assumed it was trying to head west and came up the Thames instead of the channel or north via the North sea.

[Nightranger]

Originally Posted by loripo

I saw the whale that came up the Thames to Battersea in 2006. The creature was so obviously in distress that I thought it would have been kinder to leave it alone rather than try to wrestle it into the slings. I assumed it was trying to head west and came up the Thames instead of the channel or north via the North sea.

Unfortunately, this is so true and there is even one theory that suggests these are animals that are essentially committing suicide. Undoubtedly, most animals are disorientated through disease and lack the usual survival instincts (think of how you feel in the midst of a flu fever). This almost certainly includes the lack of ability to make rational decisions (assuming Cetaceans can do this) and imagine how we would feel if a bear or lion tried to make us do what normally is natural behaviour in the middle of a fever. Our response would be panic or flight so I tend to agree that attempts to re-float whales and dolphins probably add a certain amount of confusion. Having said that, the alternative is unacceptable too.