Malnourished beluga whale stranded in River Seine pumped full of vitamins as rescuers race against the clock
PARIS, FRANCE: malnourished beluga whale that had swum up River Seine in France is no longer heading towards the sea but is still alive, the environmental group Sea Shepherd said on Monday, August 8. Last week, on August 2, the beluga whale was spotted in the river that runs through Paris to the English Channel. But since Friday, August 5, the whale has been stuck some 70 kilometers (44 miles) north of the French capital. But to leave it in the warm stagnant water between the two locks is no longer an option.
Lamya Essemlali, the head of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, France, told AFP in a text message, "It is alert but not eating." Attempts to feed the whale in the past few days have failed. On Saturday, August 6, veterinarians administered "vitamins and products to stimulate its appetite", said a statement by the police in Normandy's Eure department, which is overseeing the rescue effort.
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Experts, however, held out "little hope" for the noticeably underweight whale as they were "in a race against the clock" to save the animal. Essemlali said. "We are all doubtful about its own ability to return to the sea," she said. "Even if we 'drove' it with a boat, that would be extremely dangerous, if not impossible."
The Sea Shepherd France tweeted, "Beluga in the Seine. The animal still does not eat despite the appetite stimulators used by veterinarians. Although very thin, he is alert and dynamic. Euthanasia is therefore ruled out at this stage and repatriation at sea is under consideration."
Beluga dans la Seine
— Sea Shepherd France (@SeaShepherdFran) August 7, 2022
L'animal ne s'alimente toujours pas malgré les stimulateurs d'appétit utilisés par les vétérinaires. Bien que très amaigri, il est alerte et dynamique. Une euthanasie est donc écartée à ce stade et un rapatriement en mer est à l'étude. pic.twitter.com/DtNEMF2UCd
Essemlali said that before swimming between the two locks, "he had the tendency to be heading toward Paris. It would be catastrophic if he reached there." But, "the euthanasia option has been ruled out for the moment, because at this stage it would be premature," she added. After a meeting with experts and French officials, she said that the whale still had "energy ... turns its head, reacts to stimuli."
Though the rescuers tried feeding it frozen herring and then live trout, the whale kept refusing the food. Essemlali said, "His lack of appetite is surely a symptom of something else... an illness. He is malnourished and this dates back weeks, if not months. He was no longer eating at sea." Conservationists said that the animal has grown so thin and that its bones are protruding. They added that its refusal of food and the white spots on its body are signs that it could be starving to death.
"It seems very skittish… it rises to the surface only briefly, followed by long dives," said Gerard Mauger, of the GECC marine conversation society on Friday, August 5. According to sonar recordings, the beluga was also emitting very few noises that whales usually emit. It has raised more concerns regarding animal's health.