(NBC News Channel)— An injured minke whale calf which became stranded in London’s River Thames has been put down after its condition deteriorated and hopes for its survival faded, hundreds of miles from its home.
The stranded whale was first spotted over the weekend. Rescuers worked for hours on Sundayto refloat it, and then towed it a mile downstream. Despite their efforts, the whale was put down Monday.
Fears for the whale grew after the injured calf headed in the wrong direction, away from the sea, and it faced a struggle for survival in the Thames, where nutrition is much more meager than it its natural habitat in the North Atlantic.
Whales do not usually appear in the Thames and it’s not clear why the calf was so far from its normal feeding grounds.
