'It does appear to be a very young animal. 'The advantage of that inflatable equipment is that it will take some of the weight of the animal off the concrete but also it will allow the medics to assess the animal's condition while they look at all options. 'They have managed to successfully secure the whale inside the purpose-built piece of equipment for marine mammals and the last I heard is that the whale is alive.
Rescue teams arrive to Richmond Lock, south west London, after the whale, which is believed to be a minke, is spotted The Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) were joined by two fire crews and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue The whale is moved onto an inflatable piece of equipment used to assess marine mammals Spokesperson for the Port of London Authority, Martin Garside, told MailOnline: 'Rescue teams from the RNLI, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Fire Brigade have stabilised the situation, with the rescue teams all working together. The beached whale, which is around 10-13ft long, was spotted earlier in the day swimming a few miles up the river near Barnes Bridge before it became stranded in Richmond. The scenes come just hours after crowds of concerned spectators gathered along the river as a vet checked the infant's vitals and another rescuer hosed the animal down with water after the creature became stuck on the lock's boat rollers. It is hoped that the team will be able to move the inflatable equipment into the deeper waters as the high tide comes in later tonight. Rescue teams successfully moved the infant whale - which is believed to be a minke - onto an inflatable dinghy used for marine animals just after 10pm and are now assessing its condition.