Guess who decided to make a splash in our very own River Thames this past Saturday (April 20)? That’s right – dolphins! The playful marine creatures were spotted bobbing near Twickenham Bridge. A bit more interesting that the capital’s usual nature sightings of foxes, squirrels and pigeons, eh?
Naturally, Londoners were pretty excited about seeing these mammals in our river – with plenty taking to Twitter/X with videos of ’em. Here are a few vids of what our finned friends looked like (credits @mattgraveling and @travelmeerkat).
🐬 Dolphin Alert! 🐬
I was doing a report about the London Marathon from Tower bridge & spotted dolphins swimming in the Thames.
My phone is on full zoom so apologies for the quality, but definitely two swimming together. pic.twitter.com/fq0Zc9ixng
— Matt Graveling (@mattgraveling) April 19, 2024
While seeing such creatures in our very own Thames is no doubt a thrill, it naturally also got some worried. The Thames isn’t exactly the cleanest waterway in the world, and the river’s high E-coli levels recently hit the news due to their impact on this year’s boat race.
Following the sightings, MPS on the Water confirmed it’s on top of things, saying: ‘We are aware and have seen the dolphins/porpoises that have made their way into London. We have checked that the relevant agencies have been informed.’
While dolphin sightings in the Thames are rare, they aren’t unheard of. Back in 2017 we reported on another major dolphin sighting in the Thames – you can watch a video of that here.
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https://www.timeout.com/london/news/watch-dolphins-have-been-spotted-in-the-river-thames-in-west-london-042224
