The stray beluga, which has been swimming in France’s River Seine for more than a week, was removed from the water on Wednesday morning to be transferred to a saltwater basin in Normandy. International news agencies and the French branch of environmental organization Sea Shepherd. The rescue operation, from a lock in which the animal had been held since Friday, took six hours. Last Tuesday, the beluga was spotted for the first time, about seventy kilometers outside Paris.
It remains to be seen whether the beluga will survive – the toothed whale is too thin and has digestive problems, so it has not yet been able to feed it. After the beluga was removed from the water Wednesday morning, it was found to weigh about 800 kilograms, instead of the 1,200 kilograms usually weighed by whales of its kind. Local driver Isabelle Dorliat-Pouzet told news channel BMF TV that “veterinarians are not necessarily optimistic about whale health.” “He is terribly thin and that doesn’t bode well for his life expectancy in the medium term.”
The beluga is driven to Normandy in a saltwater tank in a refrigerated truck. He will stay there for three days while vets try to stimulate his digestive system, which is almost at a standstill. In addition to observing his state of health, “his repatriation in the open sea” will also be organized, says Dorliat-Pouzet.
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