The great, historic city of London sits on the banks of the River Thames. The city was founded in 43 A.D. and has gone through many changes over the millennia. Throughout the history of London, the River Thames has been heavily polluted with everything from toxic chemicals to human waste. In fact, in 1957 the river was pronounced “biologically dead” given its state.
According to The Hill, the river’s health has miraculously rebounded. Over six decades later from the grim declaration of being “biologically dead”, the Thames is now home to over 115 species of fish as well as 92 species of birds. The tidal river also flows to some 600-hectares of coastal marsh.
It turns out the Thames is now home to three species of sharks. This includes the tope shark, starry smooth hound, and the spurdog shark. It is truly amazing that a river can go from being pronounced dead to seeing a wildlife rebirth in a relatively short time. This should provide some motivation for us to get cracking on cleaning up other heavily polluted areas… it’s not too late.
Images From: Ulster Wildlife Facebook Page