REALITY TV sailed into new waters at the weekend with the moving sight of the struggle to save the London whale.

The nation held its breath and viewers tuned in from all over the world as the rescue team battled on behalf of the lonely and disorientated creature.

But despite the delicate rescue bid, the 18ft bottle-nosed whale died on a barge which was trying to take it back to its beloved deep waters.

But watching the poignant pictures was a world away from the reality of whaling scenes going on in other oceans.

Far from the tranquil Thames, the seas regularly run red with blood as cameras are replaced by harpoon guns.

In fact, we're certain the London phenomenon hardly created a ripple in at least three nations - Norway, Iceland and Japan.

Last year Japan lost a vote to end a 15-year ban on commercial whaling at the International Whaling Commission conference.

The Japanese are trying to persuade the rest of the world that it is a whaling nation, and since the ban was established in 1986, both Japan and Norway have continued to hunt.

Greenpeace estimate that more than 1.5million whales were slaughtered between 1925 and 1975.

Just over ten years ago, the commission set up a sanctuary banning whaling in waters around Antarctica. The US lists nine species of whales as endangered.

Let's hope that all the publicity will help the save-the-whale campaigners to stop this senseless butchery of these magnificent mammals - creatures which have a sophisticated social system and are able to communicate with each other over hundreds of miles.

Before the dramatic events in London, a whale had not been spotted in the river since records began in 1913.

We sincerely hope that the Thames whale's mother doesn't come looking for him and other whales are able steer clear of all our rivers and remain in the safety of deep waters where they belong.