A humpback whale hunted in the Thames is dead. Its lifeless body was discovered under a bridge in the village of Greenhite, Kent, about 30 kilometers from London. The whale was probably hit by a ship, said the scientists who were involved in the autopsy of the animal.
The eight meter long humpback whale had been discovered on Monday in the Thames. The scientists reported that they had found a large wound on the underside of his head.
The team was of the opinion that the injury was likely due to the collision with a ship. The female died of the wound, said Rob Deaville of the Zoological Society in London, whose program looks at stranded whales.
Where the accident happened, the scientists could not say. It was possible that the whale had already collided with a ship outside the Thames and was swimming through the river with these injuries, he continued. Scientists also discovered older scars on the animal's body. They suspect that it might have gotten caught up in a net before his death.
According to the British "Guardian" humpback whales rarely get lost on the coast of Great Britain. Every year, only one or two animals would be spotted. This humpback whale is already the fifth animal in 2019.