Photo: Twitter / Préfet de l’Eure
Thousands of miles from its natural habitat, a wayward beluga whale has been found swimming 160 km up the River Seine between the French capital Paris and the city of Rouen in Normandy. The dangerously thin whale is refusing food amid fears it could starve to death. The beluga has been offered herring and a cocktail of vitamins to help bring it back to health by stimulating its appetite.
The all-white beluga normally live in Arctic and sub-Arctic oceans, although they are known to sometimes venture into more southern waters and can survive for a short while in freshwater.
From a tweet by Sea Shepherd France:
Beluga in the Seine The animal still does not eat despite the appetite stimulators used by veterinarians. Although very thin, he is alert and dynamic. Euthanasia is therefore ruled out at this stage and repatriation at sea is under consideration.
Beluga dans la Seine
L'animal ne s'alimente toujours pas malgré les stimulateurs d'appétit utilisés par les vétérinaires. Bien que très amaigri, il est alerte et dynamique. Une euthanasie est donc écartée à ce stade et un rapatriement en mer est à l'étude. pic.twitter.com/DtNEMF2UCd— Sea Shepherd France (@SeaShepherdFran) August 7, 2022
The beluga is not the first wayward whale to wander up the Seine this year. In May, a sick orca whale swam dozens of miles upstream towards the city of Rouen before dying, apparently of natural causes.