NEW YORK — The lure of New York City's massive New Year's celebrations is irresistible to many – even, apparently, giant mammals.
Officers patrolling New York City's harbor on Saturday spotted a whale swimming in the East River in Manhattan. The police department's special operations division posted a pair of photos of the traveler Saturday morning on the division's Twitter page.
Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard told The Associated Press that they had yet to see the whale. It appeared to be a humpback whale, the same species spotted last month in the East River.
"Even the wildlife want to ring in #NYE2017 in #NYC," police wrote.
Police tweeted on Nov. 25 when a whale was spotted near Governor's Island.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Frank Iannazzo-Simmons told the AP that authorities inform mariners of any whale sightings in busy waterways and "let the whale be the whale."