French rescue operation for stray orca in the Seine | Abroad

Orcas swim back and forth, looking very weak and having little chance of surviving. With the use of whale sounds, experts want to avoid having to use a ship in the rescue operation, which puts more stress on the vulnerable animal.

The orca was first spotted at the mouth of the Seine, between La Havre and Honfleur, on May 16, according to La Voix du Nord. The animal also appeared several times off the northern French coast. Orcas are commonly found along the coasts of Scotland, Iceland, and Norway and further south in the Atlantic Ocean. It is not clear if the orca has been lost due to the disease. It may be a small animal that has lost its group.

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Experts are not very optimistic about the chances of the orca returning to the ocean. “We are very concerned. His health is deteriorating,” expert Gérard Mauger on behalf of the French marine mammal research group GECC told AFP. “The longer the orca swims in fresh water, the faster the animal deteriorates. It’s hard to find a way to get the orca back into salt water.”

The Orca is estimated to be between 4 and 5 meters long and is likely a male.