The French government wants to bring a stray orca from the River Seine to the sea using orca sounds. A drone is deployed to broadcast the sounds and follow the animal on its route. The adrift animal is in poor health.
The plan was conceived during a meeting with national and international scientists. This method makes it possible to keep ships away from the animal’s route,” said the local government.
Vessels in close proximity to the animal could “exacerbate its stress and jeopardize its survival,” the statement said. The whale’s health deteriorates now that it resides in fresh river water. The animal must therefore return to the ocean as soon as possible.
The 4-meter-long orca, a male, was first spotted on May 16 in the mouth of the Seine between the port of Le Havre and the town of Honfleur in Normandy. Then the animal swam tens of kilometers upstream and reached the city of Rouen.