[ad_1]
LONDON – Many remarkable things have emerged from the Thames in its long, crowded and often filthy history, from nacelles of dolphins to unexploded bombs of the Second World War. But few of them were as rare as the lightning of pearly white spotted Tuesday afternoon near Coalhouse Fort, in a quiet part of the river, in southeastern England. .
It was a beluga whale that jumped into the river, hundreds of kilometers from its natural habitat in the coldest waters of the Arctic Circle.
The last whales of this species were seen in British waters in September 2015, off the coast of Northumberland, in northeastern England, where two people were found dead.
This beluga – the southernmost ever recorded in British waters, according to Sally Hamilton, director of the Orca charity – appeared to be in good health and still feeding. He was seen again on Wednesday morning.
British divers Marine Life Rescue are monitoring the situation, but have so far decided not to intervene.
How long could such a whale survive in the Thames? "It all depends on the stress of the animal and the amount of food," Hamilton said by phone, adding that belugas must consume 2% of their body weight every day. (Beluga can weigh more than 3,000 pounds and feed on fish.)
"The bottom line is that the animal is not bothered by the shipping traffic in the Thames and that it hopes it will move up north," she said.
Richard Sabin, senior curator of mammals for the Natural History Museum in London, said it was crucial that the whale does not move higher on the Thames, which has been London's main commercial source for hundreds of years. 39; years. .
It's not clear why the animal entered the river, said Hamilton. He could have followed a food source, be pushed by storms or be disoriented by an injury or artificial noise in the ocean.
Dave Andrews, a consulting ecologist and ornithologist, reported that the whale was posted on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.
While the sighting was totally unexpected, Mr. Andrews said the creature's distinctive character quickly identified it.
"The very white color, the slit of the upper lip, the lack of a dorsal fin, the beautiful way it moves and the shape of its head", he said, "it is undoubtedly a beluga ".
