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Trapped whale put down

28/07/2007

A 15ft whale found swimming in a river in the east of England has been put down by marine experts.

They said they wanted to prevent the animal, discovered yesterday afternoon in the River Orwell near Ipswich in Suffolk, from suffering.

It is not clear how the Northern Bottlenose whale ended up beached in shallow water under the Orwell Bridge, but marine experts believe it may have got lost after leaving the Norwegian coast.

Several whales have appeared around England's east coast over the past 18 months, including one which died last year after becoming stranded in London's River Thames.

After unsuccessful efforts to coax the whale involved in the latest incident back to the North Sea, marine workers decided that the animal was in a "compromised position".

Specialists from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) group said it was likely the whale would have died from dehydration or starvation had action not been taken.

Trevor Weeks, the BDMLR's national co-ordinator, explained: "Our main concern was to prevent the animal suffering.

"The whale was in a compromised position and once vets could safely get near it, it was humanely put down," he revealed.

Zoologists are reportedly planning to conduct tests on the body of the animal, although experts have said that there is a chance the whale's remains could be washed away.


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