Benny the beluga whale is a long way from home.
After sightings of the animal swimming in London’s River Thames went viral on Twitter on Tuesday, scientists and marine rescuers have expressed their concern for its wellbeing.
Here are some clips of the whale, nicknamed “Benny”, which were filmed yesterday morning.
It’s fair to say that London wouldn’t be a beluga whale’s normal habitat. According to National Geographic, they’re typically found in the coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean.
“This is the most southerly recording of a beluga in the UK,” Lucy Babey, head of science and conservation at marine conservation charity Orca, was quoted as saying in the BBC. “These animals can navigate in shallow coastal water so hopefully it will swim away.”
Organisations like British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the RSPCA are currently monitoring the situation for further sightings of Benny.
“It’s possible that it lost its way after a navigational error, that it has taken a wrong turn,” said Julia Cable, the national co-ordinator for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, per the BBC. “We haven’t got an idea about the health of the animal.
“We are hoping that the twitchers will be out again this morning and will let us know when they spot it.”
Mashable reached out to British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who confirmed that there has been another sighting of the whale on Wednesday on the south side of the river, in a similar location to the area it was sighted on Tuesday. A spokesperson said no additional information is available at this stage.
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