Mesh, it was enough to get him out of the water. Not provoked by human weapons but from craneBecause the animal in question was not among the many cranes that filled the waters of the Seine, but The beluga that swam since last Tuesday along the great French river And it was for five days stuck in a dam About 125 meters by 25, seventy kilometers northwest of Paris. But the illusion of saving him did not last long: only a few hours passed, the whale died of his condition.

The specimen was rescued last night, in an operation coordinated by firefighters, vets and Sea Sheperd France experts. Then the latter explained on Twitter that it was male sample, four meters long and weighing about 800 kilograms (much less than the type standard), which immediately underwent some veterinary examinations. At first no signs of any infectious disease were found, but biologists could not explain why he did not eat the fish that were thrown next to him after the first observations showed them. weight loss status.

Le bluga at sorti de l? Eau aprs de longues heures de prparation et d? efforts. Bravo aux quipes guarantee d. Avoir relev ce dfi.Les premiers examsens mdicaux ont t faits, les rsultats seront bientt connus. The maintenance of Le bluga va takes the road towards Ouistreham. pic.twitter.com/Vc8aBMKf6r

– Sea Shepherd France (@SeaShepherdFran) August 10, 2022

After the rescue, the Beluga was moved north, In a basin of salt water In the town of Ouistreham, in Normandy, on board a refrigerated truck that has already been equipped for precise transport. But in the end long exposure to fresh water and pollution of the Seine It was fatal. Sunday Lamia Semali, President of Sea Shepard FranceHe had admitted that there was little hope of saving him except within 24-48 hours.

in May, The orca died directly in the Seine because it was undernourished. Now experts can not help but wonder how the beluga can be found in the French hinterland, 3,000 km from its nearest habitat (Svalbard Islands, in Norway). The French Pelagic Observatory, which specializes in cetaceans, indicated that it is Fourth case For a sampling of species seen in Europe at these latitudes: in 1948, a beluga ended up in fishermen’s nets along the Loire; In 1966, another appeared in the German Rhine. Finally, in 2018, a sample came to the surface at the mouth of the Thames.