Pulling out or opening the floodgates: the beluga whale in the Seine has only two options

In the fight for the life of the beluga whale in the Seine, time is running out.

Pulling out or opening the floodgates: the beluga whale in the Seine has only two options

In the fight for the life of the beluga whale in the Seine, time is running out. The whale caught in a sluice is lively, but not eating, marine researchers determine. There are really only two ways to save the beluga.

A beluga whale spotted in the Seine days ago is in stable condition. "He's lively but still not eating," said Sea Shepherd environmental organization President Lamya Essemlali. The condition of the animal did not deteriorate. Nevertheless, experts are losing hope that the severely emaciated whale can still be saved. The emergency services are considering pulling the animal out of the Seine because the warm water standing there is damaging it. The species normally lives in arctic waters off the coasts of Russia, Alaska and Canada.

According to the authorities, an alternative is to open the lock in which the whale is currently stuck so that it can swim towards the English Channel. However, there is a risk that the animal will swim further upstream towards Paris.

The beluga whale was first sighted in the Seine last Tuesday and reached the lock around 70 kilometers from Paris on Friday. In the past few days there have been several attempts to feed the emaciated animal, but they were unsuccessful. According to Essemlali, his lack of appetite could be a sign of illness.

According to the French Pelagis Observatory, the nearest beluga population is off the Spitsbergen archipelago north of Norway, about 3,000 kilometers from the Seine. According to experts, it is only the second time that a beluga whale has lost its way to France. The first time a fisherman spotted a whale in his net in 1948 in the Loire estuary.