ORC. The killer whale that has been wandering in the Seine for two weeks will be euthanized, announced the Seine-Maritime prefecture on May 29. The rescue attempt did not work due to the critical condition of the killer whale.
[Mis à jour le 30 mai 2022 à 11h51] An orca stranded between Le Havre and Rouen has been swimming in the Seine for several weeks. First seen on May 16, 2022, the male killer whale failed to reach the sea and the rescue attempt set up on May 28 to guide her back to her natural environment was unsuccessful. Sunday, May 29, the Seine-Maritime prefecture decided to euthanize the killer whale, which was obviously very weakened. “The operation [de guidage] highlighted a lack of liveliness, inconsistent reactions to sound stimuli and erratic and disoriented behavior of the orca”, explained the prefecture in a press release to justify its decision. A choice made in consultation with biologists from the French Office for Biodiversity, the Cotentin Cetacean Study Group (GECC) and specialists.
The state of health of the orca is very critical. The scientific teams identified “ulcerations and deep dermatitis, revealing necrotic lesions” on almost the entire body of the animal and “vocalizations similar” to cries of distress of the cetacean were heard on sound recordings. The modalities of euthanasia are being studied but the prefecture has let it be known that it will remain very discreet about the place and date of the operation to avoid crowds around the animal which could complicate the procedure and put danger the killer whale and overly curious visitors.
Why is the killer whale stuck in the Seine going to be euthanized?
The killer whale’s body is covered with necrotic lesions and the animal’s inconsistent behavior could indicate a rather serious infection, mucormycosis. Physically weakened and visibly disoriented, the killer whale does not seem able to return to the English Channel and return to its natural habitat. Biologists and veterinarians believe that euthanasia is the wisest decision to “end the suffering suffered by the orca”. As difficult as it is, the choice of euthanasia is also the best solution to take with regard to other orcas and cetaceans because the disease suffered by the orca stuck in the Seine could be contagious and affect other individuals in the area. protected and partly endangered species. The disease observed in the killer whale stranded in the Seine is still unknown also after euthanasia, the animal’s body will be recovered by scientists “to carry out in-depth analyzes on the pathology of which it is a carrier”.
The sick killer whale, what is mucormycosis?
The necrotic lesions and other symptoms observed on the killer whale lead experts to believe that the killer whale is suffering from mucormycosis, “a deep affection of the dermis and epidermis likely to affect immunocompromised animals” and already observed on “mammals sailors in different parts of the world” but for the first time in Europe. This disease can lead to an occlusion of blood vessels and “affect the kidneys, the lungs, the heart and the brain, this last point being likely to explain the disoriented behavior of the killer whale”, detailed the prefecture. In the killer whale stuck in the Seine, this disease would have reached a “very advanced stage” and would cause significant suffering to the animal.
Why can’t the orca be saved and leave the Seine?
Before taking the decision to euthanize the killer whale, the Seine-Maritime prefecture tried to save the animal and guide it to the sea. The rescue operation was organized on Saturday May 28 with the cooperation of specialists . The teams tried to lead the orca to the sea thanks to a diffusion of sound stimuli (vocalizations of a population of orcas) but the animal was not receptive to the sounds emitted, on the contrary it seemed disoriented and unable to follow the sounds of its fellow creatures. The modus operandi chosen to attract the killer whale to the English Channel was defined on May 27 during a meeting between the prefecture and the researchers, but doubts remained as to the success of the rescue. “It’s experimental, we’re not sure it works,” said Charlotte Curé, researcher in cetacean bioacoustics at the Center for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Development. (Cerema) on Twitter.
From now on, the rescue of the orca seems almost impossible but several voices are raised to defend a new attempt before the euthanasia of the orca. That of Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Sheperd France, resonates louder than the others, on BFM TV, the activist asks the prefecture “for an additional approach to have a confirmation of the diagnosis of the veterinarians. Even if it is true that the images already consulted show an apathetic orca, and very thin”. The NGO Sea Shepherd also regrets that the rescue attempt came too late, two weeks after the confirmation of the presence of the cetacean in the Seine, because for the killer whale “each additional day spent in the Seine unfortunately reduces its days of survival”, adds Lamya Essemlali.
We don’t know how the killer whale got stuck in the Seine. “No doubt she was sick”, imagines the cetologist and president of the NGO Tursiops, Eric Demay, at the Parisian. Mucormycosis, a disease observed in animals, could have disoriented the killer whale and led him into the Seine. Another disease could also be at the origin of the arrival of the killer whale in the river, “perhaps she approached humans to seek help”, advances the specialist specifying that the scenario has already seen several times in dolphins. The president of Sea Sheperd France, Lamya Essemlali also questions a disorientation of the orca reinforced by the “noise of the work of the wind turbines near Le Havre”.
Where is the killer whale stuck in the Seine?
The orca has been wandering the Seine for at least two weeks, but she could have been stuck in the river for longer. The animal moves in the Seine estuary between Le Havre and Rouen, a perimeter of 125 kilometers, but the river environment is not suitable for the cetacean used to living in cold and deep waters. Despite the limited space and the disease that weakens it, the killer whale continues to swim in the river, making it difficult to locate it with more precision. The prefecture of Seine-Maritime, in collaboration with experts, has however delimited the areas of movement of the animal. It also indicates that the sector where the killer whale is located “is prohibited for swimming, fishing and the water catchment areas are not fed or impacted by the Seine”.