a 15ft ( 4 . 5 meter ) central bottle - nosed whale has been identified swimming in the river thames in central london , uk . the " thames beast " struggled to swimming up towards the thames edge and under various banks , passing as deep as chelsea before it turned around just before cross bridge . tv broadcast aircraft arrived to provide live tv footage of the whaling , and many spectators lined the banks of the street . the whale is noted to be looking healthy , although some fear that the whale may bruise itself as it attempts to do before rescuers force it away into the middle of the river . commonly found in the western atlantic , there have been sightings of a second whale near hull .
The River Thames flows through London.