Rescuers say Thames whale's death may save others

reuters: Marine experts who failed to rescue a whale stranded in London's Thames River said on Sunday they hoped worldwide public interest in its fate would promote conservation of the endangered species.

Rescue teams had tried to return the adolescent 18-foot (six meter) northern bottle-nosed whale to the open seas but it died on Saturday evening after its health took a turn for the worse.

"It was always a race against time," Tony Woodley of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue group, which coordinated the rescue attempt, told Reuters.

Paul Jepson, head of the UK Marine Mammals Strandings Programme, said he hoped international coverage of the animal's fate would have a positive impact.

"There are probably many children who may remember seeing this bottle-nosed whale in London and in the future I hope that they may become marine mammal enthusiasts and conservationists." Read more