The China Mail - Ailing beluga put down in last-ditch French rescue bid

USD -
AED 3.67302
AFN 68.25057
ALL 83.483156
AMD 381.28666
ANG 1.789699
AOA 917.000079
ARS 1331.517198
AUD 1.533989
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.701624
BAM 1.678416
BBD 2.011225
BDT 121.225644
BGN 1.67595
BHD 0.377008
BIF 2970.239245
BMD 1
BND 1.281665
BOB 6.898002
BRL 5.460296
BSD 0.996082
BTN 87.455643
BWP 13.436429
BYN 3.278753
BYR 19600
BZD 2.000841
CAD 1.373185
CDF 2890.000319
CHF 0.80513
CLF 0.02484
CLP 974.449633
CNY 7.18315
CNH 7.18171
COP 4044
CRC 504.348796
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 94.626544
CZK 21.049902
DJF 177.384543
DKK 6.39439
DOP 60.621404
DZD 130.329582
EGP 48.458546
ERN 15
ETB 138.442414
EUR 0.85684
FJD 2.253799
FKP 0.751467
GBP 0.74803
GEL 2.697767
GGP 0.751467
GHS 10.509197
GIP 0.751467
GMD 72.501278
GNF 8640.311728
GTQ 7.643755
GYD 208.398948
HKD 7.849455
HNL 26.182027
HRK 6.455199
HTG 130.732754
HUF 341.080505
IDR 16297.85
ILS 3.43782
IMP 0.751467
INR 87.689003
IQD 1304.93922
IRR 42124.999693
ISK 122.350144
JEP 0.751467
JMD 159.191257
JOD 0.709001
JPY 147.258498
KES 128.901322
KGS 87.449956
KHR 3990.988091
KMF 422.49885
KPW 899.94784
KRW 1382.949742
KWD 0.30545
KYD 0.830112
KZT 535.217311
LAK 21550.46277
LBP 89250.942919
LKR 299.682905
LRD 199.72281
LSL 17.746006
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.421084
MAD 9.036657
MDL 16.918898
MGA 4406.722934
MKD 52.80344
MMK 2099.311056
MNT 3591.43546
MOP 8.053619
MRU 39.734309
MUR 45.350304
MVR 15.405187
MWK 1727.246592
MXN 18.59456
MYR 4.228506
MZN 63.960054
NAD 17.746006
NGN 1525.150182
NIO 36.657011
NOK 10.16617
NPR 139.928686
NZD 1.679882
OMR 0.384488
PAB 0.996082
PEN 3.542113
PGK 4.136416
PHP 57.210499
PKR 282.843731
PLN 3.660896
PYG 7460.963815
QAR 3.631534
RON 4.347702
RSD 100.350056
RUB 80.000386
RWF 1440.873964
SAR 3.752576
SBD 8.217066
SCR 14.635046
SDG 600.507518
SEK 9.604135
SGD 1.283585
SHP 0.785843
SLE 23.103011
SLL 20969.503947
SOS 569.31256
SRD 37.035999
STD 20697.981008
STN 21.025441
SVC 8.715614
SYP 13001.372255
SZL 17.742745
THB 32.299026
TJS 9.31359
TMT 3.51
TND 2.935899
TOP 2.342099
TRY 40.682075
TTD 6.75297
TWD 29.816023
TZS 2472.503383
UAH 41.441389
UGX 3556.272608
UYU 39.974254
UZS 12476.132039
VES 128.747751
VND 26215
VUV 119.124121
WST 2.771506
XAF 562.925172
XAG 0.026298
XAU 0.000296
XCD 2.70255
XCG 1.795214
XDR 0.700098
XOF 562.925172
XPF 102.345818
YER 240.449806
ZAR 17.74998
ZMK 9001.199098
ZMW 22.935654
ZWL 321.999592
  • SCU

    0.0000

    12.72

    0%

  • JRI

    0.0800

    13.34

    +0.6%

  • BCE

    -0.3100

    23.25

    -1.33%

  • NGG

    0.0200

    72.3

    +0.03%

  • CMSD

    0.0300

    23.54

    +0.13%

  • BCC

    -3.8500

    82.92

    -4.64%

  • GSK

    -0.5700

    36.75

    -1.55%

  • RBGPF

    1.0800

    76

    +1.42%

  • RIO

    0.3900

    60.09

    +0.65%

  • CMSC

    -0.1200

    22.95

    -0.52%

  • SCS

    0.0300

    15.99

    +0.19%

  • RYCEF

    0.1700

    14.5

    +1.17%

  • VOD

    0.2000

    11.3

    +1.77%

  • BTI

    0.5600

    56.4

    +0.99%

  • AZN

    -0.8800

    73.6

    -1.2%

  • RELX

    -1.7800

    48.81

    -3.65%

  • BP

    0.2800

    33.88

    +0.83%

Ailing beluga put down in last-ditch French rescue bid
Ailing beluga put down in last-ditch French rescue bid / Photo: © AFP

Ailing beluga put down in last-ditch French rescue bid

An ailing beluga whale that strayed into France's Seine river was put down by vets Wednesday during a last-ditch rescue attempt to keep the animal alive, local officials said.

Text size:

The fate of the whale captured the hearts of people across the world since it was first spotted in the highly unusual habitat of the river that flows through Paris, far from its usual Arctic waters.

Rescuers had worked overnight to lift the male out of the Seine by crane for transfer to a saltwater pen, in a delicate, final effort to save the life of the ailing mammal, which was no longer eating.

It was then driven at a painstakingly slow speed north to the Normandy port of Ouistreham, where vets hoped to release the animal into a habourside pen and then possibly into the wild.

But the experts unanimously decided after examining the beluga on arrival in Ouistreham that there was no other option than to put the male down, the local authority of the Calvados region said.

"Despite the technical and logistical efforts, the condition of the cetacean unfortunately deteriorated during the trip," it said.

"Examinations showed that the beluga was in a state of great weakness and its respiratory activity failing. The decision was therefore taken collectively, with the veterinarians, to euthanize it," it added.

- 'Tragic outcome' -

After nearly six hours of work by dozens of divers and rescuers, the 800-kilogramme (1,800-pound) cetacean had been lifted from the river by a net and crane at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT) and placed on a barge under the immediate care of a dozen veterinarians.

The 24 divers involved in the operation and the rescuers handling the ropes had to try several times to lure the animal into the nets to be lifted out of the water.

The beluga was then given a health check and driven to Ouistreham.

"During the journey the vets noted a worsening of his health and in particular the breathing," said Florence Ollivet-Courtois, a vet for the local emergency services, in a video posted on social media.

"The animal was not getting enough air and suffering visibly. We therefore decided that it made no sense to set it free and proceeded to euthanasia."

"The transfer was risky, but essential to give an otherwise doomed animal a chance," the Sea Shepherd NGO, which has been assisting in the rescue, said on Twitter.

"Following the deterioration of his condition, the vets took the decision to euthanize him. We are devastated by this tragic outcome that we knew was very likely," it said.

The four-metre (13-foot) whale was discovered more than a week ago heading towards Paris and was stranded about 130 kilometres (80 miles) inland from the English Channel at Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne in Normandy.

Since Friday, the animal's movement inland had been blocked by a lock some 70 kilometres northwest of Paris, and its health deteriorated after it refused to eat.

- Killer whale also died -

This is the second drama involving a big marine mammal in an unexpected area to grip France in the last months.

A sick killer whale -- a member of the dolphin family also known as an orca -- was spotted in the Seine in May but died after attempts failed to guide the animal back to the sea.

Interest in the beluga's fate has spread far beyond France, generating a large influx of financial donations and other aid from conservation groups as well as individuals, officials said.

While belugas migrate south in the autumn to feed as ice forms in their native Arctic waters, they rarely venture so far.

 

The trapped whale is only the second beluga ever sighted in France. The first was pulled out of the Loire estuary in a fisherman's net in 1948.

H.Au--ThChM