In a dramatic rescue operation, French troops pulled the beluga whale lost in the Seine out of the water. The marine mammal, four meters long and about 800 kilograms in weight, was lifted from the lock in the northern French municipality of Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne on Wednesday night with a crane. Now the animal must be cared for in good health again.
The beluga whale was first sighted in the Seine last Tuesday and has been trapped since Friday in a lock in Saint-Pierre-La-Garenne, about 70 kilometers from Paris – 130 kilometers from the mouth of the Seine on the Channel. According to experts, the animal cannot survive for long in the warm, fresh water. Beluga whales usually live in arctic waters off the coasts of Russia, Alaska, and Canada.
Weakened animals are fed up first
Animal rights activists therefore developed the idea of taking the marine mammal out of the river and transporting it to a seawater tank to feed it and then release it into the sea. The interest and willingness to donate in France is enormous. The maritime protection organization Sea Shepherd, among others, has collected donations for the rescue operation.
Loss of appetite indicates illness
Several attempts to feed the emaciated and weakened animal had failed in recent days. According to experts, his lack of appetite could be a sign of illness.
According to experts, this is only the second time that a beluga whale has lost its way to France. The first time a fisherman saw a whale in his nets in the mouth of the Loire was in 1948.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
