Stranded beluga whale dies after failed rescue in River Seine

A beluga whale stranded in France’s River Seine died this morning (10 August 2022), during a rescue operation intended to release it back into the sea.

Local authorities in France’s Calvados department confirmed that: “Despite an unprecedented rescue operation for the beluga, we are sad to announce the death of the cetacean.”

The beluga had swum into the river earlier this week after getting lost, and was first spotted swimming up the river from the English Channel on Tuesday, August 2. Efforts to feed the malnourished beluga, which had become dangerously thin, had failed.

The announcement came hours after rescuers had attempted to transfer the whale to a saltwater basin in Normandy. Rescuers used a net and a crane to move the 800kg whale out of the river, in a six-hour operation this morning.

The animal had been put onto a barge, with around 12 veterinarians on hand to provide care, before it sadly died. Authorities had intended to place the whale in a refrigerated truck and transport it to the French coastal town of Ouistreham for a period of care.

Beluga whales, which can reach four metres long, are a protected species usually seen in cold Arctic regions. The appearance of the animal in the Seine has sparked concern from biodiversity experts. The whale had been heading upstream towards Paris, before reportedly reaching a lock 70km from the capital, where it had remained ever since. It is not currently known how the whale ended up so far from its usual habitat.

Arial footage taken by drones earlier in the week showed the whale swimming slowly, coming up periodically to breathe.

Gerard Mauger, deputy head of French Marine Mammal Research Group GEEC, told media that the mammal had been spending ‘very little time on the surface’ and therefore appeared to have ‘good’ lung capacity.

Lamya Essemlali, head of the French branch of marine conservation NGO Sea Shepherd, added that “the environment is not very welcoming for the beluga, the Seine is very polluted, and cetaceans are extremely sensitive to noise.”

There were 24 divers involved in the rescue operation. Those handling the ropes reportedly had to try multiple times between 10pm and 4am to encourage the whale into the nets before it could be lifted from the water.