A small whale has been stranded alongside the River Thames in south-west London.
Hundreds gathered at Richmond lock and weir on Sunday night after the creature, believed to be a minke whale, turned stuck.
Videos confirmed it being hosed down whereas a vet carried out a check-up at the river’s edge, earlier than the Royal National Lifeboat Institute arrived at the scene to cheers at about 9pm.
A witness mentioned “fairly the group” watched because the tried rescue happened.
Jake Manketo, 20, from Richmond, mentioned: “Everyone right here is simply hoping they get it out. We couldn’t consider our eyes after we first noticed the poor fella, not day-after-day one thing like this occurs in Richmond.”
The whale is alleged to be nonetheless alive however stuck on the lock’s boat rollers, as emergency employees work to set it free.
Fire crews have additionally been pictured at the scene, together with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service.
It is believed the whale was first noticed at noon a couple of miles up the river close to Barnes Bridge.
A spokesperson for the Port of London authority, which owns and operates the lock, mentioned: “At round 7pm on Sunday, a small whale, roughly 3 metres to 4 metres lengthy, believed to be a minke whale, turned stranded at Richmond lock and weir.
“PLA employees have tried to help the whale with water together with British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
“The whale remains to be alive and the Metropolitan police are working to maintain the general public away from the water’s edge.”
The spokesperson added that the scenario shouldn’t be good, although there isn’t a “instant hazard” to the whale.
Minke whales are the smallest of the good whales, rising to about 10 metres. They can normally be discovered all through the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with a variety that extends from the ice edge in the Arctic through the summer time to close the equator throughout winter.
