The four-meter-long animal was first seen on Tuesday in the Seine, about 70 kilometers from Paris. It is worth noting that the beluga, also called the white dolphin, is found mainly in the arctic and subarctic seas. So it is rare for this animal to be spotted in European rivers.
Scientists and authorities want to help the animal swim back into the open sea, but so far these attempts have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the white dolphin is also said to be severely malnourished. Frozen trout and herring were already offered to the beluga, but the animal did not feel this. Therefore, it is considered to give the animal an injection of vitamins so that it can regain its strength and resume its 160 km journey towards the canal. Allowing the animal to swim in the warmer still water, between the locks, seemed no longer an option.
We made the video below about the animal. The article continues below the video.
“He should be transferred within the next 24 to 48 hours. These conditions are not good for him,” the head of Sea Shepherd’s France branch told AFP. “We all doubt he will be able to return to the sea. Even if we were cruising it with a boat, it would be extremely dangerous, if not impossible.”
Scientists say there is “little hope” for undernourished beluga. Spots were also seen on the skin of the white dolphin last weekend. It is not clear what causes this. It could be a reaction to the fresh waters of the Seine. The animal also “sings” less and the animal reacts frightened.
It is not clear how to proceed now.
At the end of May, also in the Seine, an orca was spotted between Le Havre and Rouen. This animal did not survive. She was trapped in the river and rescue efforts were unsuccessful.
