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London watches whale of a ride
Whale lifted out of Thames River
London rescue operation may not succeed, experts warn
LONDON, England. Rescuers have lifted a stranded whale out of London's Thames River and were taking it by barge toward the open sea. But experts warned they may not be able to save the animal's life.
Thousands of people watched from the riverbanks as Saturday's rescue operation was taking place a day after the northern bottlenose whale was first spotted in the British capital.
Rescuers used a sling and a crane to lift the whale out of the river and onto the barge.
Two small boats had towed the whale upriver to the barge after rescuers placed an inflatable yellow pontoon system under and around the animal as the river reached low tide.
Tony Woodley of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue told Sky News the barge would travel east toward the North Sea while experts continued to assess the whale's health.
If the whale is in "reasonably good condition, it will be released in as deep a water as we can go," Woodley said.
However, if the whale is in poor condition, he indicated it would be euthanized.
"We cannot release it only to have it just die," he said.
The whale "is obviously distressed and tired and we must warn that there may not be a happy ending to this unfolding saga," Woodley told Reuters earlier.
Blood samples from the whale were taken to a nearby hospital for tests, The Associated Press reported.
Between 2,000 and 3,000 onlookers were gathered along bridges and riverbanks in the area of the rescue operation, police said.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause when the whale was lifted onto the barge.
Martin Garside of the Port of London Authority said one of Britain's foremost whale experts was leading the medical examination of the animal.
Garside said the whale was tired and had suffered some skin abrasions but appeared to be in reasonably good health.
Experts have determined that the whale is an adolescent and not dependent on its mother, which is a positive sign, Garside said.
On Friday and again on Saturday, thousands of Britons came to the Thames with their children and their cameras to see the whale.
It was first spotted by a commuter who told police he must be hallucinating. By that time, it had slipped under Tower Bridge and headed upriver past Big Ben.
By Saturday morning, it had moved upstream several miles and was near Battersea Bridge.
The whale's upriver direction troubled experts, who said it was a possible indication the animal was sick, confused or both.
"It's heavily scarred and it's got what looks like an infected wound behind the left eye, and it seems to be tired and exhausted," said Edwin Timewell of the Atlantic Whale Foundation. "Just by intuition, it doesn't look very well."
The whale apparently has injuries on its nose and tail as well. It beached itself twice Friday, and by the time night fell it was swimming aimlessly in fresh water.
"It's got quite a bit of damage around its head area and is flexing in an unnatural manner," said Mark Stevens of British Marine Rescuers.
If it had been allowed to beach again, said zoologist Richard Sabin, the whale's body weight would have put pressure on its lungs, resulting in additional stress on the animal.
The whale is as big as a bus -- about 20 feet long -- and weighs an estimated 5 tons.
London rescue operation may not succeed, experts warn
LONDON, England. Rescuers have lifted a stranded whale out of London's Thames River and were taking it by barge toward the open sea. But experts warned they may not be able to save the animal's life.
Thousands of people watched from the riverbanks as Saturday's rescue operation was taking place a day after the northern bottlenose whale was first spotted in the British capital.
Rescuers used a sling and a crane to lift the whale out of the river and onto the barge.
Two small boats had towed the whale upriver to the barge after rescuers placed an inflatable yellow pontoon system under and around the animal as the river reached low tide.
Tony Woodley of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue told Sky News the barge would travel east toward the North Sea while experts continued to assess the whale's health.
If the whale is in "reasonably good condition, it will be released in as deep a water as we can go," Woodley said.
However, if the whale is in poor condition, he indicated it would be euthanized.
"We cannot release it only to have it just die," he said.
The whale "is obviously distressed and tired and we must warn that there may not be a happy ending to this unfolding saga," Woodley told Reuters earlier.
Blood samples from the whale were taken to a nearby hospital for tests, The Associated Press reported.
Between 2,000 and 3,000 onlookers were gathered along bridges and riverbanks in the area of the rescue operation, police said.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause when the whale was lifted onto the barge.
Martin Garside of the Port of London Authority said one of Britain's foremost whale experts was leading the medical examination of the animal.
Garside said the whale was tired and had suffered some skin abrasions but appeared to be in reasonably good health.
Experts have determined that the whale is an adolescent and not dependent on its mother, which is a positive sign, Garside said.
On Friday and again on Saturday, thousands of Britons came to the Thames with their children and their cameras to see the whale.
It was first spotted by a commuter who told police he must be hallucinating. By that time, it had slipped under Tower Bridge and headed upriver past Big Ben.
By Saturday morning, it had moved upstream several miles and was near Battersea Bridge.
The whale's upriver direction troubled experts, who said it was a possible indication the animal was sick, confused or both.
"It's heavily scarred and it's got what looks like an infected wound behind the left eye, and it seems to be tired and exhausted," said Edwin Timewell of the Atlantic Whale Foundation. "Just by intuition, it doesn't look very well."
The whale apparently has injuries on its nose and tail as well. It beached itself twice Friday, and by the time night fell it was swimming aimlessly in fresh water.
"It's got quite a bit of damage around its head area and is flexing in an unnatural manner," said Mark Stevens of British Marine Rescuers.
If it had been allowed to beach again, said zoologist Richard Sabin, the whale's body weight would have put pressure on its lungs, resulting in additional stress on the animal.
The whale is as big as a bus -- about 20 feet long -- and weighs an estimated 5 tons.
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