In May 2022, a killer whale was spotted in the Seine, and gave rise to an impressive rescue attempt. Unfortunately, the animal, too ill, was found dead a few days later, near Le Havre. Since then, a rorqual whale had also been spotted, but had been able to go back to the sea alone. On Tuesday, August 2, 2022, a beluga whale was spotted in the Seine, in the department of Eure, but it refused to feed. A rescue operation had been set up in the last few hours, but unfortunately the beluga did not survive.
The marine animal, which usually evolves in Arctic waters, was located since last Friday in a lock located 70 km from Paris, closed to navigation to avoid increasing its stress. His advanced state of emaciation worried the president of the NGO Sea Shepherd, Lamya Essemlali, who mentioned feeding attempts that had failed. Since then, attempts to save him have multiplied but without success. The last hope was to move it in a salt water bath for a period of care, in the hope of releasing it back into the sea afterwards, but the cetacean, taken out of the Seine last night, died during the transport. The veterinarians had to euthanize it, its condition deteriorating too quickly.
#Beluga
- Prefect of Calvados (@Prefet14) August 10, 2022
Despite an unprecedented rescue operation of the #beluga, we are sad to announce the death of the cetacean.
Ms. Ollivet Courtois, veterinarian of @sdis91 explains ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5Mb8s5BZPc
These unusual presences have been multiplying in recent months. Why do these marine animals that never leave the open sea find themselves stuck in the Seine more and more often? This is a question that specialists may be able to answer thanks to the autopsy of the deceased orca and now that of the beluga.
Orca in the Seine: 10,000 euro reward to identify the person who shot the animal
The orca found in the Seine in May 2022 had been shot in the neck, the autopsy revealed. The Sea Shepherd association is offering a reward of 10,000 euros to the person who can find the author of this act. [Read more]
