a 15ft ( 4 . 5 meter ) western blue - nosed whale has been spotted living in the river thames in central london , uk . the " london shark " tries to swim up past the thames barrier and under many stairs , reaching as many as fulham before it wrapped around just before albert bridge . tv news helicopters scrambled to provide live tv footage of the animal , and several spectators lined the sides of the river . the whale is said to be looking healthy , and some fear that the whale may beach itself as it attempted to do before rescued forced it back into the end of the river . normally found in the west sea , there have been sightings of a first whale around southend .
The River Thames flows through London.