Dolphin discovered dead in the Thames after days-long search
The story of the dolphin, which had been spotted multiple times in the Thames in London since Thursday, captured media attention for several days. This marine mammal entered the Thames for unknown reasons and most likely got lost. Unfortunately, this story does not have a happy ending.
The dolphin was first observed on Thursday, swimming in the Thames between the Putney and Hammersmith bridges in the western part of London. However, it then disappeared.
On Saturday, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), a charity organization dedicated to rescuing marine animals, appealed to people to inform them if they spotted the dolphin. They also urged people to keep their distance from the dolphin and not try to approach it, as it could further disorient the animal.
On Monday morning, the body of a dead dolphin was found on the shore near Chelsea Harbour Pier, a pier on the Thames in the western part of London. Later that afternoon, the newspaper "Evening Standard" reported that another dead dolphin, which had not been previously noted, was found in Greenwich in the eastern part of London.
This marks the fourth and fifth instances of dolphin sightings in London this year. Mary Tester, who oversees the Thames at BDMLR, explained on Saturday that while dolphins' presence in the estuary area of the North Sea is normal, their appearance as far inland as London is unusual and dangerous for them.
The tester stated that there are various theories regarding why dolphins start swimming upstream. It could be related to the construction of offshore wind farms, which forces marine mammals to move, or it could be due to the improved water quality in the Thames in recent years, resulting in a greater number of fish and other marine animals that dolphins feed on. However, no one has yet determined why these marine mammals appear so far from the sea.
