Dead 12ft whale washes up on bank of river in UK

Mammal has been sent to Natural History Museum for examination

The whale was found washed up along the River Medway in Kent (HM Coastguard )

A dead 12ft whale has been found washed up on the banks of a river in Kent.

HM Coastguard was called to the scene along the River Medway, and a rescue team from the nearby Isle of Sheppey arrived to investigate.

The mammal will now be sent to the Natural History Museum for examination.

Authorities were alerted to the beached carcass at around 4pm on Friday. On Saturday, a troupe of volunteers arrived to help with the operation near Sittingbourne.

A spokesman for Sheppey Coastguard Team said: “After the animals are reported we will then get help if they are alive.

“But, if they are sadly dead we fill out a form that needs measurements and particular information which is then sent on to the Natural History Museum.

A view over the River Medway (Getty Images)

“They then can come and see it if they wish to get more information.”

It is not yet known what type of whale the mammal was, or the circumstances of its death.

The discovery of any whales, dolphins, porpoises, or certain must be reported to HM Coastguard, whether they are dead or alive, as they are classed as “royal fish”.

The spokesman added: “On Saturday we were tasked to a dead whale in the River Medway.

“We will then get help if they are alive but if they are sadly dead we fill out a form that needs measurements and particular information which is then sent on to the Natural History Museum.”

It comes just two years after a sperm whale died when it became stranded in the Thames estuary.

The whale’s body was seen just off of the Sheppey shoreline.

An endangered sei whale was also found dead in the same estuary, when it was found floating in the Thames off Gravesend, Kent, in 2019.

The mammal has been sent to the Natural History Museum for examination (Getty Images)

But there was a happier ending for ‘Benny the Beluga’, who hit the headlines with his unexpected visit to the Thames in September 2018.

He swam around the Gravesend area of the River Thames for months as there was plenty of food available in the estuary waters - capturing the attention of the world’s media.

He is believed to have finally headed home in January 2019 after his presence sparked a surge in visitors to the area and worldwide fame.

Last November pictures appeared to show a whale on the English Channel off St Margaret’s Bay near Dover, Kent. The creature seemed to be heading towards nearby Ramsgate.

Just last month, a minke whale had been seen swimming inside Dover Harbour, the second such sighting off the Kent coast in a week.

In October 2019 a humpback whale nicknamed Hessy by locals was seen on the Thames near Dartford but was killed in a collision with a ship a few days later.