LONDON (November 23, 2012)--A naked man climbed atop an equestrian statue Friday in the heart of Whitehall, London's government district, police and witnesses said.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said that the man, believed to be in his 30s or 40s, has been sitting atop the statue for the better part of two hours.

"We're still talking to him. We're still trying to get him down without causing any injury to him,” he said.

Photos posted to Twitter appear to show the man straddling a statue of the 19th century duke of Cambridge, down the street from the prime minister's official residence.

The man's motives weren’t clear, and, with London's late autumn temperature reaching a brisk 50 degrees, it's not clear how long he can stay there.