Dead whale washes up on Thames shore after ‘being struck by propeller’ | UK News
A whale has been found dead along the River Thames after reportedly being struck by the propeller of a boat.
Its carcass – which was about 14 metres long- washed ashore near Rochester, in Kent, where it remained for some 72 hours before being moved.
Pictures showed the decaying young fin whale trapped by the rocks in the village of Cliffe.
People were warned to ‘keep distance’ and not ‘interfere’ as it could carry ‘harmful bacteria’, the Port of London Authority (PLA) said.
The recovery process was marred with problems as Storm Gerrit battered the Kent coast.
A spokesperson for PLA told the BBC that mudflats along the rocky foreshore and limited road access to the site also delayed the operation.
‘The removal of a buoy also set back our ability to remove the whale on Friday,’ it added.
Drone footage shared online on Saturday showed the carcass finally being towed to a barge.
Two fishermen on a small boat were seen tying up the flukes of the animal before its body was dragged further in the water.
The PLA did not specify how the whale ended up in Cliffe, but this is not the first time one has been found in the Thames.
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