Humpback Whale First Spotted In The Thames Dies Of Unknown Causes

Tributes are already streaming in for the humpback whale that died on the Thames on Tuesday.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue unit, which is dedicated to the rescue and well being of marine animals when they are in distress in the United Kingdom for the past three decades, was the one that found the whale carcass.

The whale, according to the Port of London Authority, was thought to measure about 33 feet.

The BDMLR posted a statement on Twitter claiming it was sad news that the whale which had not been seen in the river all day was found in the Greenhithe area.

The whale, nicknamed Hessy, was first seen swimming along the Thames on Sunday.

The national coordinator of the BDLMR, Julia Cable, stated it is unusual for a humpback whale to be seen in the Thames Estuary.

She added the whale might have just made a navigational error. However, Cable claimed there was no indication the whale was in distress in the first place.

Genevieve Allenbury posted on social media she was heartbroken by the unexpected demise of the whale, which found itself in the Thames after supposedly getting lost.

Rogers also tweeted that he saw the post of the whale being sighted in the Thames and was pleasantly surprised. He was saddened afterward by its subsequent death though.

The BDMLR added they hope a necropsy is going to determine the cause of death for the large mammal.

The public opinion on its death is the animal may have perished from the state of pollution.

Twitter posts from various people in the London area suggested there is only so much pollution which can be had by the animals before their systems cease up.

Others made political puns of the matter, saying Hessy had also heard about the Brexit mess and just lost the will to live.

It is not the first time though that a whale has been spotted in the Thames. In 2006, a bottlenose whale was spotted in the Thames.

That time, the whale, which was too weak to find a path out of the estuary, also died despite efforts of rescuers to take it back to sea.

There was another incident where the humpback whale was found washed up on the shore of the Thames in Kent, having died of starvation.

Only a year ago, a beluga whale that got the nickname Benny was spotted swimming in the Thames near Gravesend. That one was one of the lucky ones considering it made its way back to sea.