Police SHOOT juvenile whale after it got stranded in Thames estuary

Police have shot dead a juvenile whale after it got stranded alongside its mother in the Thames estuary with no chance of rescue. 

The marine tragedy happened just off Canvey Island in Essex when a female pilot whale and her calf got into difficulty and became stranded in shallow waters.

The fire brigade and a team from South Essex Wildlife Hospital were called out in a huge rescue effort to save the whales, which can grow up to 20-foot long.

Vets, marine biologists and divers were called in and an was operation launched to assess any injuries to the whales and get them back safely into deeper water.

The wildlife hospital said the whales are thought to have been part of a pod of nine, seven of which had already died after a previous stranding in the area two days ago.

Emergency services including a specialist mud rescue team struggled into the early hours in a bid to save the whales.

A spokesperson for the wildlife hospital said: 'Heartbreakingly, the adult whale was just not strong enough to survive and the youngster was both injured and deteriorating rapidly.

'After working for more than 12 hours, the devastating decision had to be made to end the youngsters suffering with a trained marksman ensuring this was done instantly.'

Essex Police said they were called to the scene on Friday evening and officers had to shoot the whale.

Det Chief Supt Morgan Cronin said: 'This is something no police officer wants to do. Our emergency service partners had been working tirelessly to save the whale and I want to thank them for their efforts.

'Sadly, when it became clear to a specialist vet that this wasn't going to be possible, they determined the most humane thing to do was prevent it from suffering any further and it should be euthanised.'

'They also determined the chemicals that would usually be used could pose a risk to other wildlife should they get into the water, so another approach was needed.

'It is a hugely regretable thing to have to do but was in the best interests of the whale and I want to thank the public for their understanding.'

The South Essex Wildlife Hospital team said they were distressed and saddened that they had been unable to rescue the whales, and upset by claims on social media they could have done more to save the animals.

A spokesman added: 'Outcomes like this are crushing for all involved. It has been a somber morning for many of us, especially with comments about what could or should have been done circulating on social media.

'Please bear in mind that those involved tried every option open to them and we would have done anything possible to change the outcome if we could.'

Wildlife photographer Rosie Barrett, who works for whale charity ORCA, said on Facebook she was devastated by the incident, which was an unusual one, as large whales were rarely seen along the Essex coast.

Ms Barrett, who was called to the scene, said: 'I knew it was unlikely to be a good result as pilot whales are notoriously difficult because they tend to strand in numbers and all animals have to go out together otherwise they will continue to re-strand due to their tight family bonds.

'The teams involved worked really, really hard but sadly it wasn't the result we had all hoped for with both individuals dying.It's really frustrating to see comments on public posts about how the situation should have been dealt with and how we could have done better.

'No-one wants this outcome! But rescuing and refloating a large cetacean isn't easy like some seem to think. 

'Where they were was a very difficult location for them to be rescued from so please, stop with the speculations. I am heartbroken and don't need to read it. I just really wish it could have been a better outcome. Devastated.'