a 15ft ( 4 . 5 meter ) northern cork - nosed whale has been spotted swimming in the river thames in central surrey , uk . the " british animal " managed to swimming up under the thames barrier and under many bridges , reaching as close as richmond before it flipped around just before albert bridge . tv news helicopters scrambled to provide live tv views of the whale , and many observers lined the banks of the river . the whale is stated to be looking healthy , although some fear that the whale june beach itself as it tries to do before trapped forced it deeper into the middle of the estuary . normally found in the northern sea , there have been reports of a second whale in southend .
The River Thames flows through London.