Beluga whales spotted in France’s Seine River were euthanized for breathing and eating problems

A starving, stranded beluga whale was taken from the French river Seine and had to be killed on Wednesday.

All-white belugas whales are found in groups known as pods. They hail from the Arctic, subarctic and Arctic seas. On Aug. 1, the lost whale was seen for the first time in Paris’ Seine. 2.

The whale was then stopped from moving further by a lock placed on the Normandy river, 43 northwest of Paris. Its health continued to decline as it refused food. According to Reuters ., rescuers believed the animal was already in serious condition.

The decision was taken to remove the whale from river. For belugas that are used to cold water environments, exposure to warm riverwater would prove fatal.

“( The operation was dangerous, but necessary to give a chance for an animal otherwise doomed,” Sea Sheperd France told Reuters.

The whale was lifted out of the river by a crane during six hours from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning. At this point, the whale weighed 1,763 pounds, nearly 900 pounds below its normal weight, according to France24.

The plan was for the beluga to recover in Normandy’s saltwater basin before it could be released into the wild. However, its condition continued to decline. The attempts to give fish to the whale that was malnourished were in vain.

Incapable of breathing on the journey to the ocean, rescuers decided to kill the beluga.

” We were able to observe that the animal had anoxia, which is insufficiently ventilated. So we decided to end its suffering. Florence Olivet Courtois was a veterinarian from a Normandy fire- and rescue service. She said this in a CNN video.

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