London whale dies
{{date|January 21, 2006}}

A Northern Bottlenose whale died at approximately 19:00 GMT in [[w:London|London]] today despite rescue efforts.  The whale had previously found its way up the [[w:Thames|River Thames]] and into the central portion of the British capital.

Despite whales' ability to breathe out of water, their skeletons are not designed to hold their own massive body weights, and so whales cannot spend long periods of time out of water. 

The death of the whale saved the rescue team from having to decide whether it was advisable to release the whale in such a weak condition. A humane killing had been considered.

The whale managed to gather two days worth of media attention, with Londoners and people all over the world captivated by the unusual story.

==Related news==
*{{Wikinews|title=Rescue teams try to save London whale|date=January 21, 2006}}
*{{Wikinews|title=Experts fear for the health of London whale|date=January 20, 2006}}
*{{wikinews|title=Whale spotted in river Thames, Central London|date=January 20, 2006}}

==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4635874.stm
|title=Lost whale dies after rescue bid|author=
|pub=BBC News Online
|date=January 21, 2006}}
*{{source|
url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/news/newswire.php/news/reuters/2006/01/21/odd/rescuedthameswhalehasconvulsionanddies.html&template=/news/feeds/story_template.html|
title=London Whale Dies|
author=|
pub=Reuters|
date=January 21, 2006}}

{{publish}}
{{archived}}

{{wikipediapar|Thames Whale}}
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Whales]]
[[Category:Animal rights]]

[[de:Londoner Wal ist tot]]
[[es:Muere la ballena varada en el Támesis]]
[[it:Londra, è morta la balena Willy]]
[[pl:Waleń z londyńskiej Tamizy nie żyje]]
[[pt:Morre baleia encontrada no Tâmisa]]
A Northern Bottlenose whale died at approximately 19:00 GMT in London today despite rescue efforts.  The whale had previously found its way up the River Thames and into the central portion of the British capital.

Despite whales' ability to breathe out of water, their skeletons are not designed to hold their own massive body weights, and so whales cannot spend long periods of time out of water. 

The death of the whale saved the rescue team from having to decide whether it was advisable to release the whale in such a weak condition. A humane killing had been considered.

The whale managed to gather two days worth of media attention, with Londoners and people all over the world captivated by the unusual story.

de:Londoner Wal ist tot
es:Muere la ballena varada en el Támesis
it:Londra, è morta la balena Willy
pl:Waleń z londyńskiej Tamizy nie żyje
Morre baleia encontrada no Tâmisa
United Kingdom Whales Animal rights