Julia Cable from British Divers Marine Life Rescue said the carcass was found on the West Lynn side of the river this afternoon.
Julia Cable from British Divers Marine Life Rescue said the carcass was found on the West Lynn side of the river this afternoon.
Julia Cable from British Divers Marine Life Rescue said the carcass was found on the West Lynn side of the river this afternoon. An infant fin whale that was spotted yesterday in the Great Ouse river in Norfolk has been confirmed dead.

The ailing fin whale, whose body is covered in lacerations, was first spotted yesterday morning swimming along the River Ouse in King's Lynn.

Julia Cable from British Divers Marine Life Rescue said the carcass was found on the West Lynn side of the river this afternoon.

She added: 'On the high tide it has been channeled in there. I would say it probably drowned. It might have been dead before it got in there.

'It's a sad end but it was very weak and was struggling in the water.'

West Norfolk council is making arrangements for the removal of the whale's body.


Volunteers tracking the five-metre long mammal breathed a sigh of relief after seeing it heading towards the sea yesterday evening - but it was then spotted again at around 5am today, stuck on a mud bank.

Mrs Cable said she received a call early in the morning from Norfolk Police, who made the sighting.

The rescue worker said it had several 'nasty lacerations' to its body.

Yesterday, crowds gathered beside the river at Harding's Pit at around 8am close to the town centre to witness the unusual presence in their waters.

An infant fin whale that was spotted yesterday in the Great Ouse river in Norfolk has been confirmed dead.
An infant fin whale that was spotted yesterday in the Great Ouse river in Norfolk has been confirmed dead.
The Seawatch Foundation's Norfolk branch said there had been two other records of fin whales, which can grow to more than 25m in length, entering the River Ouse.

Dr Ben Garrod, expert in animal and environmental biology at Anglia Ruskin University, was puzzled as to why the animal decided to venture into the river.

He said: 'It seems to be coming into an area where there is a very real risk of stranding.

'That part of the wash is a really noisy area - it's effectively you walking into a really huge and busy market and it's foggy.

Mr Chapman, of Wildlife Tours and Education, said the whale may have taken a wrong turning.

The whale is likely to have got lost as it made its way from its winter home in the Arctic to the Atlantic ocean, which is a common migration route for the species in the summer and autumn.

It may have instead come down the river to die, according to Mr Chapman, evidenced by the fact that the whale's skin could be seen covered in lacerations.

Whales have washed up on the beach in Hunstanton and Snettisham in Norfolk in recent winters, and all have died.