Dolphin found dead on bank of River Thames

A dolphin has been found dead on the bank of the Thames in west London days after one was spotted in the river last week.

On Thursday, a dolphin nicknamed Jo Jo was spotted swimming between the Hammersmith and Putney bridges.

However, on Monday morning a dolphin was pictured dead on the bank of the river near Chelsea Harbour Pier.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), which was tracking Jo Jo on Thursday, was contacted for comment.

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Luke Denne, a journalist at the Climate Centre, said he had spotted a dolphin last week while out filming a story about water quality in the Thames.

He said he was “quite surprised” to see one that far down the river.

Mr Denne then called the BDMLR, which tracks dolphins and marine life that could get into difficulty.

Speaking last week, Mary Tester, Thames area coordinator with the BDMLR, said there were a “lot of different theories” on why dolphins were “coming down the river”.

She said it could be the improved water quality of the Thames over recent years, which had improved the level of fish that dolphins preyed on.

“There’s lots of noise in that water,” Ms Tester said. “The bends and turns of the river could potentially negatively impact dolphins’ echo-location.”

Ms Tester said Jo Jo had last been spotted swimming towards Chelsea when they lost sight of it on Thursday evening.

Members of the public that spot a dolphin swimming in the Thames, or any inland waterway, have been urged to alert the BDMLR and avoid following it in boats or canoes.

A Port of London Authority spokesperson said: “We are aware of a dolphin that sadly died. We are working with the Cetaceans Stranding Investigation Programme to recover the animal.”