A small whale freed after it became stranded along the Thames is on the move again – but is still in the river in London.
Crowds gathered at Teddington Lock in the south-west of the capital on Monday to catch a glimpse of the whale, a minke between 10ft (3m) and 13ft (4m) long.
The minke whale is now near Teddington Lock (Yui/Mok/PA)
It came after hundreds of people gathered at Richmond Lock and Weir on Sunday after the whale became stuck on the lock’s boat rollers.
Videos showed it being hosed down by a man believed to be from the Port of London Authority (PLA), while a vet performed a check-up at the river’s edge, before the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) arrived at the scene to the cheers of onlookers at about 9pm.
BBC News
Published
A juvenile minke whale that became stranded in the River Thames has been put down.
Hundreds of people gathered along riverbanks in south-west London after the whale was first spotted on Sunday.
It was first freed from Richmond Lock but became stranded a second time in Teddington.
Rescuers earlier said the mammal s condition had deteriorated rapidly and a vet team had been working to end its suffering .
image copyrightPA Media
A vet from the Zoological Society of London administered the injection shortly after 18:00.
The whale is now being moved and a post-mortem examination is due to be carried out.
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Minnie the 13ft minke whale is put down by vets to end its suffering after becoming trapped and distressed in reeds just hours after being freed from Richmond Lock
A 13ft minke whale which got stranded in the River Thames will be put down after its condition deteriorated
Injured baby whale dubbed Minnie has become trapped for a second time in Thames in less than 24 hours
The 13ft calf appeared to have become tangled in weeds at Teddington Lock, 60 miles from estuary
Hundreds of people gathered along the river to try and spot minke whale swimming further inland
Experts say the baby whale is showing signs of injury and distress and may not survive the ordeal