Baby minke whale euthanised
The 10-foot-long whale calf was first discovered trapped inside a concrete lock in Richmond, London, on May 9. Rescuers tried to refloat the animal and tow it out toward deeper water, but the whale slipped loose from the inflatable cushion it had been placed in and began to swim back upriver (away from the sea). […]
The 10-foot-long whale calf was first discovered trapped inside a concrete lock in Richmond, London, on May 9. Rescuers tried to refloat the animal and tow it out toward deeper water, but the whale slipped loose from the inflatable cushion it had been placed in and began to swim back upriver (away from the sea).
Concerns for the distressed calf, which had a damaged pectoral fin and was noticeably underweight, grew as the mammal battled for survival many hundreds of miles away from its summer hunting grounds in the North Atlantic Ocean. Despite attempts to rescue it, the scale of its injuries and the absence of a mother made rehabilitating the animal impossible. Being so young and so far from home, the whale was incapable of fending for itself without a group or a mother.
The whale entered shallower water, swimming farther westward up the Thames. After it became stuck again, more than 145 km from the opening to the North Sea in the Thames Estuary, rescuers had no choice but to put the calf down. It was given a lethal overdose of anaesthetic.
It is highly unusual for a minke whale to appear in the River Thames. Minke whales are notoriously inquisitive, however, a trait that could have led this calf astray and into harm’s way.
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.
Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .
