BELUGA. Successfully released from the lock where it had been for several days, the beluga stuck in the Seine was transported to Ouistreham but its death was announced in the morning by the Calvados prefecture.
[Mis à jour le 10 août 2022 à 11h38] The extraordinary rescue operation will not have been enough. The death of the beluga whale stuck in the Seine for several days was announced late Wednesday morning by the Calvados prefecture. Released from the water of the Seine where he had been stuck in a lock in the Eure for several days, the beluga was rushed to Ouistreham with the aim of bringing him back to sea water and being able to treat him. . “It is with heartache that we announce that the beluga did not survive the translocation which was risky, but essential to give an otherwise doomed animal a chance”, also reacted the Sea Shepherd France association. on his Twitter account.
The first examinations carried out on the animal during its transfer were not very reassuring. “We have an extremely reserved prognosis for this animal”, had confided to France Info the caretaker Isabelle Brasseur, dispatched from Marineland in Antibes to take part in this extraordinary rescue. Gendarmes, firefighters, giant nets… It was a rescue operation worthy of the “Save Willy” saga which took place in the Eure on Tuesday evening and during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. led to the water outlet of the beluga, which had been stuck in the Seine for several days. The animal was then placed in a refrigerated truck which took the direction of the coast and Ouistreham where a basin of seawater The cetacean had to spend several days there under the supervision of the trainers before considering taking it to the high seas.
The beluga was first taken out of the water via a gigantic net capable of supporting the animal’s weight of around 800 kilos for 4 meters in length.
The beluga was taken out of the water after long hours of preparation and effort. Congratulations to the teams involved for having taken up this challenge. The first medical examinations have been carried out, the results will soon be known. The beluga will now take the road to Ouistreham. pic.twitter.com/Vc8aBMKf6r
— Sea Shepherd France (@SeaShepherdFran) August 10, 2022
He was then able to be transported to Ouistreham on the Normandy coast where he was to be placed in a pool of seawater and will be followed by a medical team.
Spotted in the middle of last week, the 4-meter beluga had been since Friday August 5 in a lock northwest of Paris. 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. The possibility of transport was mentioned on Monday August 8 with an operation that began on Tuesday August 9 in the evening and concluded overnight with the animal’s exit from the water. The death of the cetacean was announced at the end of the morning on Wednesday August 10.