A rescue team was preparing to take the whale to a saltwater pool in Normandy. The male marine mammal was first spotted in the Seine last week after it accidentally strayed from its normal Arctic route.
During the rescue operation, the dangerously thin animal began to have difficulty breathing, so experts decided the most humane thing to do was to euthanize the creature.
“During the trip, the vets confirmed a deterioration in his condition, in particular his breathing activities, and at the same time they noticed that the animal was in pain, not breathing enough,” said Florence Ollivet Courtois, a French wildlife expert. “The suffering was obvious to the animal, so it was important to release its tension, so we had to proceed with its euthanasia.”
Conservation group Sea Shepherd France said veterinary tests after the beluga was removed from the river showed it had no digestive activity. Members of the organization had tried unsuccessfully since Friday to feed fish to the whale.
Courtois said the whale suffered discomfort after being transported in a refrigerated truck and during the roughly 160-kilometer (99-mile) journey to the Normandy coast.
The whale was expected to spend several days recovering in the seawater pool in the port of the northeastern French town of Ouistreham before being towed out to sea.
The rescue team said in advance that the transfer carried the risk of the whale dying due to the stress involved in the process. However, the move was deemed necessary because the animal could not survive much longer in the fresh water of the Seine.
“The decision to euthanize the beluga was made as it was too weakened to be re-entered the water,” said Guillaume Lericola, sub-prefect of France’s Calvados region.
