a 15ft ( 4 . 5 " ) northern seal - nosed cow has been spotted floating in the river thames in northern sussex , uk . the " thames whale " managed to run up past the great barrier and under many bridges , reaching as far as chelsea before it flipped around just before victoria bridge . tv news helicopters scrambled to provide the tv footage of the whale , and some spectators lined the banks of the river . the creature is said to be looks healthy , plus some fear that the whale cannot drown itself as it happened to do before rescuers pulled it back into the middle of the river . occasionally discovered in the north atlantic , there have been sightings of a fifth individual near southend .
The River Thames flows through London.