Unexpected visitors in the British Natural History Museum

I see this and my first thought is "Its the End Times". Then, "Wow, we are making progress cleaning up the waterways."

Can't believe I'm writing this, no joke - BELUGA in the Thames off Coalhouse Fort @RareBirdAlertUK pic.twitter.com/6VtrJ1PVc6

— Dave Andrews (@iPterodroma) September 25, 2018

Then, I decide it must be a prank. Googling, I find, Beluga Whale Spotted Frolicking In The Thames by Laura Reynolds in The Londonist.

It appears to be real. But I just love the closing paragraph in Reynolds' piece.

In 2006, a Northern Bottlenose Whale swam up the Thames until becoming stranded near Battersea and sadly not surviving the ordeal. It is now in the National Research Collection at the Natural History Museum.

Almost sounds like the whale took a wrong turn and strayed into the Natural History Museum. Which, when you consider, is sort of what happened.

Click to enlarge.

From The Thames Whale.