As fears continue to grow for Benny the Beluga, authorities are asking anyone with a small boat to refrain from coming out and looking for the lost whale.
The snowy white sea creature with a distinctive domed forehead was last sighted an hour ago close to the position he was in yesterday and shows no apparent signs of sickness or injury.
The Port of London Authority is now asking that no small boats be navigated into the waters near the whale, who is 1,500 miles away from its Arctic home, and that anyone wishing to view the sea creature do so safely from the shore.
Benny the Beluga Whale was spotted earlier today close to its position yesterday near Gravesend. Pictured: People seen onboard a boat yesterday with large cameras trying to get a picture of the rare sight
The snowy white sea creature with a distinctive domes forehead shows no apparent signs of sickness or illness say the London Port Authority
Wildlife experts and locals were pictured yesterday gathering to watch the whale as it moves upstream further towards London. As concerns grow for the lost whale, the Port of London Authority is now asking that no small boats be navigated into the waters near the whale and that anyone wishing to view the sea creature do so safely from the shore
Yesterday people were pictured observing the Whale from the Banks of the Thames at Gravesend Promenade
Speaking about the ‘absolutely unheard of’ sightings, Port of London Authority spokesman Martin Garside said: ‘The whale was sighted an hour ago close to the position it was in yesterday.
‘It’s in the same general area but it is moving and there are no apparent signs of sickness or injury.
‘We are asking anyone with a small boat not to come out looking for the whale and also telling people who want to view the whale to do so safely from the shore.’
Mr Garside added that the whale is swimming normally and does seem to be finding food on its own.
Port of London Authority spokesman Martin Garside said: ‘We are asking anyone with a small boat not to come out looking for the whale and also telling people who want to view the whale to do so safely from the shore’
Anyone who attempts to get too close to the whale (pictured yesterday) has been given a stern warning that they will be intercepted by a patrol boat
Excited crowds first spotted the whale veering into the busy shipping lanes off of Gravesend on Tuesday.
However experts have become increasingly concerned over the lost whale saying he is ‘in the wrong place, thousands of miles away from home.’
Anyone who attempts to get too close by ship or boat has been given a stern warning that they will be intercepted by a patrol boat.
Yesterday Mr Garcia told The Sun: ‘It’s a huge concern that it’s 1,500 miles lost, we really just want it to swim back to Norway on the next ebb tide.
‘Everything revolves around the fact that he’s in totally the wrong place, thousands of miles away from his home.
‘He or she must have swum down the North Sea past the coast of Norway. It seems to be managing in the Thames, but it would be much better off in its natural environment.’
The lost Beluga Whale ‘Benny’ was spotted surfacing in the Thames estuary on Tuesday
Crowds gather for the third day to hope to catch a glimpse of Benny the Beluga Whale swimming in the Thames to the East of Gravesend
Yesterday the Port of London Authority said it would impose a 100-metre restriction area on non-essential vessels from travelling close to the whale who has been surfacing in the river near Gravesend since Tuesday.
There are fears that weekend onlookers heading to Gravesend could disturb the Beluga – if they venture on to the river on a boat.
There are fears, however, that there may be something wrong with his navigational abilities as he is so far away from where he would normally be found, in Arctic waters.
The whale, which is believed to be up to three metres long, was first spotted on Tuesday morning between Gravesend and Tilbury to the astonishment of members of the public
Beluga whale swims in the River Thames near Gravesend, Kent, east of London on Wednesday
Crowds gather for the third day to hope to catch a glimpse of Benny the Beluga Whale swimming in the Thames to the East of Gravesend
On Friday, Benny could be seen once more swimming close to barges along the Thames.
It was spotted again at around 3.15pm on Friday afternoon as enthusiasts gathered to watch the rare snow-white mammal from the shore.
The Port of London Authority Notice To Mariners reads: ‘A restriction to non-essential operations will be in force with immediate effect south of the authorised navigation channel from Denton Wharf to Shornmead Light.
‘This is as a result on the ongoing presence of a beluga whale, which is a IUCN red listed species, in Gravesend Reach Lower.
‘This restriction is on all non-essential vessels not required to be in this area.
‘Any vessels required to operate in this area are required to keep a close lookout at all time, keep speed to a minimum and maintain a minimum distance of 100m from the whale.
‘Vessel Traffic Services will be monitoring the area throughout the restriction along with assistance from the Harbour Service Launch.’
British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) operations manager Stephen Marsh said it was still not known what sex Benny is.
Pictures of the Beluga whale taken in Gravesend by British Divers Marine Life Rescue
Wildlife enthusiasts look at beluga whale swimming in the River Thames near Gravesend
Experts from the organisation have been monitoring the whale, which could stay in the Thames for months.
Mr Marsh said: ‘We are not putting divers down and you can’t tell from the body. We will watch and observe. But we are having meetings and discussions behind the scenes.
‘It looks as if it is feeding very well. There is plenty of food for it in the Thames. A lot of the food it eats in the Arctic can be found in the Thames.
‘The reason it is staying is, I think, because there are algae on the barges and buoys and that is what the fish are attracted to. There will be sprats in the area and it also eats herring and crustaceans.
‘They adapt if there is food there.’
People wanting to see the whale this weekend should do so from the shore, he added.
Drone footage gives closer look of the beluga whale which has been spotted in the Thames
Lucy Babey, Head of Science & Conservation at ORCA, a charity dedicated to studying and protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises in the UK and European waters, said Benny was ‘behaving very normally’.
She said: ‘Belugas do usually travel in small pods (groups) and different pods can come together to form large groups, but reports of lone or pairs of beluga are increasing.
‘Those seen around the UK have always been of lone individuals or pairs.
‘At this stage it is not known why the whale found its way to the Thames, but the most likely theory is due to a navigational error in its sonar/echolocation system.
‘In other species this is known to occur if the individual is unwell or if there was any disturbance or noise in the water (natural environmental noise or man-made noise).
‘The animal appears to be behaving normally and swimming strongly and is also showing signs of feeding and foraging behaviour, which is a good thing.
‘Its movement within the Thames most probably relates to the tide and location of food.’