BELUGA. The beluga, stuck for several days in the Seine, continues to be closely followed by the authorities and several associations. The animal’s health remains worrying.
Discovered in the middle of last week in the Seine, a beluga remained stuck in the river on Sunday evening, far from its natural living environment. The cetacean, which usually lives in cold waters, was spotted several days ago in the Seine and has since been closely monitored by local authorities and several associations. Interviewed on Sunday August 7, Lamya Essemlali, head of the NGO Sea Shepherd, which campaigns for the defense of the oceans and marine animals, showed little optimism about a possible rescue of the animal, citing “little hope” and a “race against time”.
Where is the beluga stuck for several days in the Seine?
Spotted in the middle of last week, the 4-meter beluga has been in a lock northwest of Paris since Friday August 5. The lock located at Notre-Dame de la Garenne near Vernon, 70 km northwest of Paris, measures 125 meters by 25 meters. Its presence in this lock could have caused additional stress in the animal, the authorities noted this weekend.
Can the beluga stuck in the Seine be saved?
For several days, the veterinarians present on the spot have been trying to help him eat. Several fish were offered to the animal in vain. In a press release published on Sunday August 7, the Eure prefecture had indicated that in view of the physiological state of the cetacean, “vitamins and products likely to whet its appetite” were administered to it. Its presence in the Seine weakens the animal accustomed to evolving in a salt water environment, fresh water damaging its skin. If the beluga can be “resistant” in the words of the Eure prefecture, the lack of food leaves little hope for specialists and animal protection associations. “His lack of appetite is surely a symptom of something else, an origin that we do not know, an illness. He is undernourished and it dates back several weeks, even several months. At sea, he no longer ate “, notes Sea Shepherd’s Lamya Essemlali. The option of euthanizing the beluga was ruled out Sunday, August 7, due to the behavior of the animal, which reacted to stimuli. “He is not amorphous and moribund,” added Lamya Essemlali in comments transcribed by AFP.