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.
"Even the wildlife want to ring in #NYE2017 in #NYC," police wrote.
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.
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."