fauna: November 2007 Archives
The Tower of London has held a menagerie since the thirteenth century. It was a place where magnificent tigers, elephants and even polar bears cavorted for the pleasure of kings and queens. However, 800 years is a long time and the Beefeaters have not always managed to keep up such an impressive roster of animals. Here are the beasts that most disappointed the Royal crowds:
1. A parrot shouting 'Vive la France!'
2. A spider with six legs*
3. A moody little monkey
4. A fried egg in a nest
5. A pig's head on a pole**
6. A fairly hungry caterpillar
7. Richard Nixon
8. A goat chewing a Beefeater's sock
9. A shepherd's pie
10. Fred Bassett
*Historians now think this was probably just an ant
** After five years of bad reviews, the Beefeaters augmented this menagerie inmate by making it 'wink' every so often, via a simple contraption made out of fishing line. The new winking pig's head on a pole became one of the Tower of London's greatest attractions, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Even Queen Victoria came to see it in 1859, although sadly she took offence at the pig's head 'getting fresh' and slapped it. The winking mechanism was irreprably destroyed.
1. A parrot shouting 'Vive la France!'
2. A spider with six legs*3. A moody little monkey
4. A fried egg in a nest
5. A pig's head on a pole**
6. A fairly hungry caterpillar
7. Richard Nixon
8. A goat chewing a Beefeater's sock
9. A shepherd's pie
10. Fred Bassett
*Historians now think this was probably just an ant
** After five years of bad reviews, the Beefeaters augmented this menagerie inmate by making it 'wink' every so often, via a simple contraption made out of fishing line. The new winking pig's head on a pole became one of the Tower of London's greatest attractions, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Even Queen Victoria came to see it in 1859, although sadly she took offence at the pig's head 'getting fresh' and slapped it. The winking mechanism was irreprably destroyed.
(Photo: Tony Goulding, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0)
Early in the morning of 20 January 2006, a commuter made an unusual
call to the emergency services. Hesitantly, he said he wasn't sure if
he was hallucinating, but he thought he'd seen a whale in the Thames,
just by Canary Wharf. He wasn't hallucinating. At 8:17 am, the
authorities confirmed there was indeed a whale in the river - the first
cetacean in the capital since Dalston Whale Pond was drained in 1973.
Sightings followed throughout the day. By nine o'clock, the whale was approaching the Millennium Bridge. By ten, it had come ashore and was seen flopping down the escalators at Charing Cross tube station. An hour later, it was spotted enjoying elevenses at a smart café on the King's Road, and by noon it had joined the queue for Madame Tussauds.
The London whale breaches outside Selfridges on Oxford Street
The whale caused a sensation. Londonders abandoned their desks to get a glimpse of the vast marine mammal, checking rolling news reports and using mobile phones to find out where it had last been spotted. There was something of a scramble in the media to name the whale. ITN and Sky both came up with 'Whalo', the BBC went for 'Mr Whale', but it was the Evening Standard's headline, 'WOLFENSTEIN THE WHALE', that stuck in the public imagination.
Whale experts were concerned that the whale might become stressed in London, what with the crowds and dry conditions. Volunteers bravely approached Wolfenstein - an adult male more than forty feet in length - in an attempt to shoo him back toward deep water, or indeed any water at all. But the whale, now sporting a novelty policeman's helmet, seemed determined to continue sightseeting, and went on to visit the National Gallery and the British Museum, before becoming wedged in the turnstile of the London Dungeon.
Marine biologists tried to keep the beast alive, ladling water over his scaly skin and feeding him plankton flakes while a big crane was fetched, but to no avail. Late that afternoon, Wolfenstein slipped away, his last poignant moments captured by a Sky newscopter, his giant tongue still reflexively lapping at the Cornetto he had bought on the South Bank. By dusk, the Royal Navy were on the scene with an impromptu body bag made from a submarine cosy. A city mourned.
But never fear, the London Whale lives on: Wolfenstein's laminated skeleton now serves as a charming children's climbing frame in Regent's Park.
(Source images: Julian Robinson, Edgley César, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0)
Sightings followed throughout the day. By nine o'clock, the whale was approaching the Millennium Bridge. By ten, it had come ashore and was seen flopping down the escalators at Charing Cross tube station. An hour later, it was spotted enjoying elevenses at a smart café on the King's Road, and by noon it had joined the queue for Madame Tussauds.
The London whale breaches outside Selfridges on Oxford Street
The whale caused a sensation. Londonders abandoned their desks to get a glimpse of the vast marine mammal, checking rolling news reports and using mobile phones to find out where it had last been spotted. There was something of a scramble in the media to name the whale. ITN and Sky both came up with 'Whalo', the BBC went for 'Mr Whale', but it was the Evening Standard's headline, 'WOLFENSTEIN THE WHALE', that stuck in the public imagination.
Whale experts were concerned that the whale might become stressed in London, what with the crowds and dry conditions. Volunteers bravely approached Wolfenstein - an adult male more than forty feet in length - in an attempt to shoo him back toward deep water, or indeed any water at all. But the whale, now sporting a novelty policeman's helmet, seemed determined to continue sightseeting, and went on to visit the National Gallery and the British Museum, before becoming wedged in the turnstile of the London Dungeon.
Marine biologists tried to keep the beast alive, ladling water over his scaly skin and feeding him plankton flakes while a big crane was fetched, but to no avail. Late that afternoon, Wolfenstein slipped away, his last poignant moments captured by a Sky newscopter, his giant tongue still reflexively lapping at the Cornetto he had bought on the South Bank. By dusk, the Royal Navy were on the scene with an impromptu body bag made from a submarine cosy. A city mourned.
But never fear, the London Whale lives on: Wolfenstein's laminated skeleton now serves as a charming children's climbing frame in Regent's Park.
(Source images: Julian Robinson, Edgley César, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0)
