Belugas, or white whales as they are also called, usually live in arctic or subarctic waters. But now a congener has strayed into the Seine. The whale was first sighted on Tuesday in the river about 70 kilometers northwest of Paris. The public was asked not to approach the animal. According to experts, the stray animal is emaciated and may be in poor health. They want to escort him back to the English Channel as soon as possible so that he can find his way back to his natural home. Time is running out!.
“The challenge now is to feed the animal and escort it to the ocean,” Lamya Essemlali, head of environmental organization Sea Shepherd France, told Reuters. Saving the animal from the river is not an option. That would be too risky. The competent authorities of the department of Eure have started to determine the size and weight of the mammal in order to calculate its chances of survival. Drones should also help track the marine mammals.
Expert: “It’s not a good place for belugas”
The lung capacity should still be very good, because according to reports, the animal has been sighted “only briefly” at the surface so far. “However, the Seine is not a good place for whales. On the one hand the river is very polluted, on the other hand it is also very noisy. And belugas are very sensitive to noise’, Essemlali explains.
In May, an orca also got lost in the Seine. But his “journey” ended deadly. The four-meter-long orca did not respond to sounds that should steer it in the right direction. Marine biologists later determined that the animal was very sick.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
