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Young World
Sailing the river
COMPILED BY SUBAJAYANTHI
Photo: N. Sridharan
Amazing creatures: Now have ‘protected’ status.
Colonies of rare seahorses are living and breeding in the River Thames, conservationists have revealed. The short-snouted variety is endangered and normally live around the Canary Islands and Italy. Experts at London Zoo said the species had been found at Dagenham in east London and Tilbury and Southend in Essex, over the last 18 months. The revelation coincided with new laws which came into force to give the creatures protected status. They are usually found in shallow muddy waters, estuaries or seagrass beds, and their presence in the Thames is a good sign that the water quality of the river is improving. Alison Shaw, from London Zoo, said: “These amazing creatures have been found in the Thames on a number of occasions during our regular wildlife monitoring work. It demonstrates that the Thames is becoming a sustainable bio-diverse habitat for aquatic life.”
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