Minke whale is lost far from home in London’s Thames River

LONDON (AP) — British authorities are seeking to recapture a young minke whale lost far from home in the Thames River after it escaped from rescuers overnight. Crews had worked for hours before being able to free the whale early Monday from a perilous stranding on a lock near Richmond in southwest London. But as it was being taken for further health checks on an inflatable pontoon, the calf slipped back into the water. A Port of London Authority spokesperson said a whale had never been seen this far up the Thames before, 95 miles from its mouth. He says “it’s like seeing a camel at the North Pole.”