Humpback whale dies in Thames

A humpback whale died in the Thames this weekend, conservationists have confirmed.

The 28ft whale was found dead by the Dartford Bridge on Saturday, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said.

It is the first-ever time that a humpback whale has been found in the Thames, with the last stranding by a humpback in the UK taking place in Port Talbot in 2007.

The whale, a juvenile male, probably died from starvation, experts said.

ZSL said it first received reports of a humpback, Megaptera novaeangliae, in the Thames on Thursday, but no further sightings were reported until it was found dead on Saturday.

Rob Deaville, project manager at UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, said: 'There have only been 12 strandings of humpback whales in the UK in the last 20 years and this is an incredibly unusual event.

'Although it’s obviously a sad outcome in this instance, the post-mortem examination has given us a rare opportunity to examine a truly extraordinary animal at close quarters. Information gathered through examinations like these will hopefully help further our understanding of such animals and also help contribute to improving their conservation status.'

Londoners will remember the last time a whale came into the Thames; in 2006 a young female northern bottlenose whale became disorientated and travelled up the river before dying from convulsions two days later.