It does perhaps sound like a headline taken from the National Enquirer, but since maybe as early as Thursday a 16-18ft (5m) northern bottle-nosed whale, an endangered species, has been swimming in the River Thames right through the heart of the city of London.

The three-tonne whale was spotted on Thursday in a group of three swimming at the mouth of the river. By Friday one of the group had managed to swim upstream and was soon swimming past some of the capital cities most famous landmarks. As news of it quickly spread crowds lined bridges and riverways to catch a glimpse of the animal.

It’s thought the whale became lost and disoriented and somehow ended up swimming up the the River Thames. A flotilla of four Thames rescue boats, including one manned with a crew from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, were quickly dispatched to monitor the animal and to try and keep it from becoming beached as it swam into shallower water.

Alison Shaw of the Marine and Freshwater Conservation Programme at London Zoo, told the BBC that the northern bottle-nosed whale was usually found in groups of three to 10. She said “This is extremely rare in British waters as they are normally found in deep waters in the North Atlantic.” And said of the whale in the Thames “It is a very long way from home and we don’t know why it has ended up here.”

As the evening drew in on Friday the whale became beached for a short while raising fears for its well being. Mark Simmonds of the Whale and Dolphin Society said “The prognosis is poor for this animal and the chances are that it is wounded, or distressed, or sick. So I am afraid I think people have got to prepare themselves that this animal may well not survive.”

Although sightings are rare the Thames has seen its fair share of interesting waterlife including dolphins, seals and sperm whales. In February 2004 a razor-toothed,red-bellied piranha was found in the Thames some 5000 miles from its native home in tropical rivers of south America.

In 1998 a 20ft long minke whale became beached on the banks of the River Mersey near Liverpool. The confused whale had to be recued twice but did eventually make it back down the river and to the safety of the Irish Sea.

::::: UPDATE – 7:06PM :::::

Sadly after a dramatic day of trying to rescue the Thames whale efforts failed at 7pm this evening. The whale was aboard a vessel racing toward the mouth of the River Thames when its condition deteriorated rapidly. As the sun began to set hopes of actually saving the whale faded quickly as it emerged the animal was not well enough to make a longer journey to deep water. Fears were that even if the whale was to be released at the mouth of the Thames it might again become beached at another location.

British news agencies have been following the story constantly all day with the hope of a happy ending. The riverways and bridges all along the route of the Thames were lined by onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of the whale and hoping that it would make it to safety.

An autopsy will now take place and a complete picture of the whales health will emerge. Many experts feel that it may well have been sick before it entered the Thames. Despite the disappointing end to the rescue effort, scientists now have an opportunity to learn a great deal about the northern bottle-nosed whale, an endangered species of which currently very little is really known.

A spokeswoman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said: “Whales around the world face deadly threats – from whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland, pollution and habitat destruction, and increased noise in the ocean. We hope the whale which visited the UK Houses of Parliament can act as ambassador for all whales, and that its death won’t be in vain.”

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Lost whale dies after rescue bid
Fears for health of Thames whale
Whale still lost in London
Lost whale swims further inland
Rescuers ready for Thames whale
Thames whale attracts thousands of people
Whale spotted in central London
Pictures of the whale in the Thames
British Divers Marine Life Rescue