🐋 The Thames Whale: 20 years on⏳ In January 2006, London witnessed something extraordinary - a northern bottlenose whale swimming up the River Thames. What followed was a huge multi-agency welfare response, watched by millions, as teams fought against time, tides and a challenging urban environment to help a distressed young whale. Twenty years later, the Thames Whale remains one of the most memorable and significant marine mammal welfare incidents in the UK. Her case helped redefine whale welf