Beluga whale which strayed into France's Seine river euthanised despite rescue efforts


A beluga whale which transfixed France once straying into the river Seine has been euthanised once its already ailing condition deteriorated during an unprecedented rescue expert to save it, local authorities said Wednesday.

"Despite an unprecedented rescue operational for the beluga, we are sad to announce the extremity of the cetacean," the prefect of the Calvados department said on Twitter.

After nearly six hours of work, the 800-kg cetacean was lifted from the river by a net and crane at near 4am (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday and placed on a barge conception the immediate care of a dozen veterinarians. 

But the whale, whose already poor condition deteriorated during transportation, was put down once it began having difficulty breathing. A beluga whale of this size must normally weigh around 1,200 kg.

The all-white beluga, a harmless species usually found in cold Arctic waters, was lifted from the river by crane and placed in a refrigerated lorry to take it to the coastal town of Ouistreham, where it was to be placed in a salt soak lock for observation.

The four-metre (13-foot) whale was spotted more than a week ago heading towards Paris and was stranded some 130 kilometres (80 miles) inland from the Channel at Saint-Pierre-La-Garenne in Normandy.

Since Friday, the animal’s movement inland had been blocked by a lock at Saint-Pierre-La-Garenne, 70 kilometres northwest of Paris, and its health had deteriorated at what time it refused to eat.

The 24 divers involved in the toiling and the rescuers handling the ropes had to try a few times between 10pm and 4am to lure the animal into the nets to be lifted out of the water.

The beluga whale’s rescue transfixed France, prompting nationwide coverage of its removal from the Seine river.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)

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