Beluga stuck in Seine river: Rescuers to move whale to saltwater basin
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A beluga whale which strayed into the River Seine, far from its usual habitat of arctic or subarctic waters, will be moved to a saltwater river basin close to the sea on August 9, marine conservation group Sea Shepherd France said.
France readies 'exceptional' rescue of beluga astray in Seine
AUGUST 9, 2022
AUGUST 9, 2022
Belugas are a protected species that cannot survive long in fresh water.
French officials are moving ahead with a delicate plan to transport a beluga whale back to the ocean after it swam far up the Seine river toward Paris, putting its life in danger, a marine expert said Tuesday.
The four-metre (13-foot) cetacean was discovered a week ago and appears sick and underweight but its condition is "satisfactory," Isabelle Brasseur of the Marineland sea animal park in southern France, Europe's biggest, told AFP.
"As of this morning we have an idea of something that could work, we're going to explain and refine it with the people who are going to help us," she said.
Belugas are a protected species that cannot survive long in fresh water.
This one is currently around 130 kilometres (80 miles) inland from the English Channel at Saint-Pierre-La-Garenne in Normandy.
"What's exceptional is that here the banks of the Seine are not accessible for vehicles... everything is going to have to be done by hand," Brasseur said.
It is stuck behind a lock and unable to move further inland—it's now some 80 kilometres from the French capital—but is not turning around, and officials warn that attempts to "nudge" the beluga back toward the sea are not viable.
The idea is to take the beluga by road to an undisclosed seawater basin where it can be treated before being released.
But the challenges are considerable and the journey is likely to further stress an animal weighing 800 kilogrammes (nearly 1,800 pounds).
The Sea Shepherd France NGO, which is assisting the operation, said in a statement Tuesday that tranquilisation was not an option, since belugas are so-called "voluntary breathers" that need to be awake to inhale air.
Appeal for donations
"In any case, we have to get it out of there... and try to figure out what is wrong," Brasseur said.
Veterinarians will keep constant surveillance during the move.
"There may be internal problems that we can't see," she said despite the fact that belugas are "extremely hardy" as a species.
Sea Shepherd has issued an appeal for donations of heavy-duty ropes, nets, mattresses and other equipment.
Belugas are normally found only in cold Arctic waters, and while they migrate south in the autumn to feed as ice forms, they rarely venture so far.
According to France's Pelagis Observatory, specialised in sea mammals, the nearest beluga population is off the Svalbard archipelago, north of Norway, 3,000 kilometres from the Seine.
Explore further Beluga whale is now stationary in Seine: NGO
© 2022 AFP
French officials are moving ahead with a delicate plan to transport a beluga whale back to the ocean after it swam far up the Seine river toward Paris, putting its life in danger, a marine expert said Tuesday.
The four-metre (13-foot) cetacean was discovered a week ago and appears sick and underweight but its condition is "satisfactory," Isabelle Brasseur of the Marineland sea animal park in southern France, Europe's biggest, told AFP.
"As of this morning we have an idea of something that could work, we're going to explain and refine it with the people who are going to help us," she said.
Belugas are a protected species that cannot survive long in fresh water.
This one is currently around 130 kilometres (80 miles) inland from the English Channel at Saint-Pierre-La-Garenne in Normandy.
"What's exceptional is that here the banks of the Seine are not accessible for vehicles... everything is going to have to be done by hand," Brasseur said.
It is stuck behind a lock and unable to move further inland—it's now some 80 kilometres from the French capital—but is not turning around, and officials warn that attempts to "nudge" the beluga back toward the sea are not viable.
The idea is to take the beluga by road to an undisclosed seawater basin where it can be treated before being released.
But the challenges are considerable and the journey is likely to further stress an animal weighing 800 kilogrammes (nearly 1,800 pounds).
The Sea Shepherd France NGO, which is assisting the operation, said in a statement Tuesday that tranquilisation was not an option, since belugas are so-called "voluntary breathers" that need to be awake to inhale air.
Appeal for donations
"In any case, we have to get it out of there... and try to figure out what is wrong," Brasseur said.
Veterinarians will keep constant surveillance during the move.
"There may be internal problems that we can't see," she said despite the fact that belugas are "extremely hardy" as a species.
Sea Shepherd has issued an appeal for donations of heavy-duty ropes, nets, mattresses and other equipment.
Belugas are normally found only in cold Arctic waters, and while they migrate south in the autumn to feed as ice forms, they rarely venture so far.
According to France's Pelagis Observatory, specialised in sea mammals, the nearest beluga population is off the Svalbard archipelago, north of Norway, 3,000 kilometres from the Seine.
Explore further Beluga whale is now stationary in Seine: NGO
© 2022 AFP
"Last-chance operation" to save a beluga stranded in a French river
Elaine Cobbe -CBS News -3h ago
An image taken by environmental group Sea Shepherd shows a beluga whale in the Seine river in Notre Dame de la Garenne, northwest of Paris, August 8, 2022.
As of Monday, experts were voicing little optimism that the beluga could survive. It was first spotted in the river last Tuesday, northwest of Paris.
Local police and fire services were mobilized to monitor it and they used drones to track its movements before closing it between to two locks to keep it safe.
A beluga whale swims between two locks on the Seine river, in Notre-Dame-de-la-Garenne, northwest France, August 6, 2022.
Elaine Cobbe -CBS News -3h ago
An image taken by environmental group Sea Shepherd shows a beluga whale in the Seine river in Notre Dame de la Garenne, northwest of Paris, August 8, 2022.
/ Credit: Sea Shepherd
Paris — Marine conservationists said Tuesday that a risky operation was planned to try to save a beluga whale stranded for a week in France's Seine river. The beluga — a species that should be found in arctic or subarctic seas — has been monitored for days amid mounting fear over its deteriorating health.
It was stranded in the Seine, which runs right through the center of Paris, about 40 miles northwest of the French capital, swimming slowly between two locks.
"Today, a major, complex operation will be undertaken that is not without risk but is indispensable for the beluga. This a major first in France," said the Sea Shepherd group in Tuesday a post on its Facebook page.
"Today's major operation will consist of transporting the beluga, which is 150km [about 93 miles] from the sea, to a saltwater basin, better adapted to its physiology, so that it can receive treatment and medical follow up," Sea Shepherd said. "We want to determine if what is ailing him and stopping him eating is something we can help with [or] if it is incurable."
A beluga whale is seen swimming up France's Seine river, near a lock in Courcelles-sur-Seine, western France, August 5, 2022.
Paris — Marine conservationists said Tuesday that a risky operation was planned to try to save a beluga whale stranded for a week in France's Seine river. The beluga — a species that should be found in arctic or subarctic seas — has been monitored for days amid mounting fear over its deteriorating health.
It was stranded in the Seine, which runs right through the center of Paris, about 40 miles northwest of the French capital, swimming slowly between two locks.
"Today, a major, complex operation will be undertaken that is not without risk but is indispensable for the beluga. This a major first in France," said the Sea Shepherd group in Tuesday a post on its Facebook page.
"Today's major operation will consist of transporting the beluga, which is 150km [about 93 miles] from the sea, to a saltwater basin, better adapted to its physiology, so that it can receive treatment and medical follow up," Sea Shepherd said. "We want to determine if what is ailing him and stopping him eating is something we can help with [or] if it is incurable."
A beluga whale is seen swimming up France's Seine river, near a lock in Courcelles-sur-Seine, western France, August 5, 2022.
/ Credit: JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP/Getty
The group promised to finance the operation and said it was urgently trying to raise 30,000 euros (about the same in U.S. dollars) for this operation. Sea Shepherd said it had already received generous donations of some of the materials that would be required.
The group promised to finance the operation and said it was urgently trying to raise 30,000 euros (about the same in U.S. dollars) for this operation. Sea Shepherd said it had already received generous donations of some of the materials that would be required.
Related video: Rescuers scramble to save Beluga whale trapped in river Seine
Duration 1:38 View on Watch
As of Monday, experts were voicing little optimism that the beluga could survive. It was first spotted in the river last Tuesday, northwest of Paris.
Local police and fire services were mobilized to monitor it and they used drones to track its movements before closing it between to two locks to keep it safe.
A beluga whale swims between two locks on the Seine river, in Notre-Dame-de-la-Garenne, northwest France, August 6, 2022.
/ Credit: JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP/Getty
Veterinarians called in by the authorities noted that the 13-foot-long whale appeared thin and in poor health, leading many to conclude that it likely had been deteriorating for several weeks.
Efforts to feed the beluga have been unsuccessful. Even after vets injected it with steroids and antibiotics, it still ignored the food being offered.
Sea Shepherd, which has had staff present at the site, said it was possible the animal had been suffering from an illness for several weeks.
"Its lack of appetite is almost certainly a symptom of something else, something we don't know about, an illness," said Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France. "It is undernourished and likely has been for several weeks, or even months. It stopped eating while it was still at sea."
The group noted, however, that the whale was still showing curiosity about the activity around it and was still moving, albeit slowly. Those factors kept talk of euthanizing the animal at bay until the rescue attempt plan was announced on Tuesday.
Veterinarians called in by the authorities noted that the 13-foot-long whale appeared thin and in poor health, leading many to conclude that it likely had been deteriorating for several weeks.
Efforts to feed the beluga have been unsuccessful. Even after vets injected it with steroids and antibiotics, it still ignored the food being offered.
Sea Shepherd, which has had staff present at the site, said it was possible the animal had been suffering from an illness for several weeks.
"Its lack of appetite is almost certainly a symptom of something else, something we don't know about, an illness," said Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France. "It is undernourished and likely has been for several weeks, or even months. It stopped eating while it was still at sea."
The group noted, however, that the whale was still showing curiosity about the activity around it and was still moving, albeit slowly. Those factors kept talk of euthanizing the animal at bay until the rescue attempt plan was announced on Tuesday.
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