France mulls rescue plan for beluga whale stranded in River Seine
August 5, 2022, 10:49 am

France mulls rescue plan for beluga whale stranded in River Seine

Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals - Photo. Pixabay

French experts are puzzled to spot a beluga whale who strayed his way so far south from its natural habitat to River Seine.

More suited to cold Arctic waters, the mammal is currently near a lock at Vernon, about 70km (43 miles) north-west of Paris.

Members of the public are being urged to keep away from the whale that appears to be underweight, according to the BBC.

Experts are now trying to save the animal and leading it to its home.

Taking the animal out of the water was out of the question as it was too risky, Lamya Essemlali, the head of environmental group Sea Shepherd France, was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.

Adult humpback whale ranges in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons) - Photo. Pixabay

"The challenge now will be to help feed it, and try to accompany it towards the ocean," she said.

Pictures have emerged showing the whale swimming slowly in the river.

The officials have not reported on the size of the animal, but an adult beluga can grow to more than four metres (13ft) in length.

Humpback whales removed from Australia's list of threatened species

In May, a killer whale was found dead after swimming up the River Seine in Normandy. A plan to guide the four-metre male orca back to the sea using sound stimuli failed, and experts later concluded it was seriously ill.

In 2019, a dead whale was found in the River Thames near Gravesend, UK officials said.

This came just weeks after a humpback whale seen swimming in the same stretch of water had died. It was thought to have found its way into the Thames because of a navigational error, possibly during high tides.

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