A Whale, Maybe Two, Lost in London River
AP
CBS News
_______
London (UK):
It's a whale of a tale _ a bottle-nosed whale swimming up the River Thames past Big Ben and Parliament on Friday as rows of worried Londoners looked on.
The whale was spotted in the afternoon as it flailed around in the murky waters of the Thames, stirring up patches of what looked like blood as seagulls hovered above and rescue boats stood at the ready.
It was the first sighting of a Northern bottle-nosed whale in the river since 1913.Witness Tom Howard-Vyne said he saw the mammal swim under Westminster Bridge, near Big Ben. "I saw it blow. It was a spout of water which sparkled in the air," said Howard-Vyne. "It was an amazing sight."
__________________
See Also:
Prince of whales
Fears for whale in London's Thames
In Pictures: Whale in the Thames
Concern grows for stranded whale
__________________
Other witnesses reported seeing a second whale in another part of the river Friday, and marine experts spotted two disoriented whales off northeastern Scotland last week, suggesting something was causing bottle-nosed whales to become confused.
Witnesses reported seeing injuries to the whale _ which was an estimated 17 feet long _ and said its snout was bloodied. Photos also appeared to show damage to one of the whale's eyes and a number of cuts to its torso.
Last week, marine officials said they saw two bottle-nosed whales in northeastern Scotland when the mammals are normally seen in northwestern Scotland.
That, coupled with the sighting Friday of a second whale in a different part of the Thames, could suggest that something is disrupting the whales, said Laila Sadler, scientific officer at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Jan 20, 2006
AP
CBS News
_______
London (UK):
It's a whale of a tale _ a bottle-nosed whale swimming up the River Thames past Big Ben and Parliament on Friday as rows of worried Londoners looked on.
The whale was spotted in the afternoon as it flailed around in the murky waters of the Thames, stirring up patches of what looked like blood as seagulls hovered above and rescue boats stood at the ready.
It was the first sighting of a Northern bottle-nosed whale in the river since 1913.Witness Tom Howard-Vyne said he saw the mammal swim under Westminster Bridge, near Big Ben. "I saw it blow. It was a spout of water which sparkled in the air," said Howard-Vyne. "It was an amazing sight."
__________________
See Also:
Prince of whales
Fears for whale in London's Thames
In Pictures: Whale in the Thames
Concern grows for stranded whale
__________________
Other witnesses reported seeing a second whale in another part of the river Friday, and marine experts spotted two disoriented whales off northeastern Scotland last week, suggesting something was causing bottle-nosed whales to become confused.
Witnesses reported seeing injuries to the whale _ which was an estimated 17 feet long _ and said its snout was bloodied. Photos also appeared to show damage to one of the whale's eyes and a number of cuts to its torso.
Last week, marine officials said they saw two bottle-nosed whales in northeastern Scotland when the mammals are normally seen in northwestern Scotland.
That, coupled with the sighting Friday of a second whale in a different part of the Thames, could suggest that something is disrupting the whales, said Laila Sadler, scientific officer at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Jan 20, 2006
