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UK : January 27, 2006
LONDON - A whale that made world headlines when it swam up the
River Thames into central London last week died of several factors
including dehydration, scientists who conducted a post-mortem
said on Wednesday.
The female Northern Bottle-Nosed Whale was first spotted last
Friday near the Houses of Parliament, some 40 miles (65 km) from
the sea.
It died on Saturday evening after rescue teams failed in an
effort to return it to open sea.
"A combination of factors was likely to have been the cause
of the death and these factors include severe dehydration, some
muscle damage and reduction in kidney function," said the
Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in a statement.
It said that anti-submarine sonar signals -- which some media
reports suggested had possibly confused the animal -- were unlikely
to have contributed to the death.
The ZSL said the most likely scenario for the 18-ft (six metre)
whale is that it entered the North Sea off eastern Britain by
taking a wrong turn above Scotland .
Subsequently it tried to head west to where it belonged in the
east Atlantic by swimming up the river.
"The death of a bottlenose whale in the Thames from dehydration
... confirms our thoughts that the whale drove itself into the
shallows of the river because it was feeling unwell and had become
disorientated," said Leah Garces, campaigns director at the
World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
ZSL veterinary pathologist Paul Jepson, who carried out the
autopsy, said early blood tests had shown the whale was remarkably
free of parasites or any disease. There was also no evidence that
the animal had any internal injury.
Tests were continuing, he told reporters.
He said the last few days had been an unforgettable and ultimately
sad experience.
"We are now determined that the whale did not die in vain
... the incident has demonstrated a clear message of the nation's
passion for these animals and their conservation," he said.
The WSPA's Garces added: "Across the world, more than 2,000
whales are hunted and killed each year through inhumane 'scientific'
and commercial whaling by Norway , Iceland and Japan ."
Story by Summer Said
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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