Sightings and social media spark British whale-watching boom

Marine life charities and wildlife tour operators observe growing interest in and empathy for whales

When a sick baby minke whale lost its way up the Thames earlier this week, hundreds of people gathered to watch the rescue efforts at Richmond and Teddington over the course of two days.

It was the furthest upriver a whale had ever ventured, a feat so out of the ordinary that the curiosity among the crowds flocking to the weir and those following the whale's misguided journey on social media was matched by the outpouring of sadness when the little whale didn't survive.