Hopes of saving the malnourished beluga whale that has become entrenched in the River Seine in France are dwindling. The rescue workers say they are in a battle against the clock.
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The whale was first spotted on Tuesday in the river that flows through Paris to the English Channel. Since Friday, it has been between two locks around 70 kilometers north of the French capital.
But leaving it in the stagnant warm water between the two locks is no longer an option.
– He must be moved within the next 24-48 hours. These conditions are not good for him, Lamaya Essemlali, head of Sea Shepherd France, told AFP.
Specialists say there is “little hope” for the visibly underweight whale as they engage in a “battle against the clock” to save it.
– We all have doubts about the whale’s ability to get back to the sea on its own. Even if we drive it away using a boat, it will be extremely dangerous, if not impossible, says Essemlali.
She points out that the whale seemed to have a habit of swimming in the direction of Paris before it ended up between the two locks it is now between.
– It would be a disaster if it ended up there, says Essemlali.
She says, however, that it is too early to talk about killing the whale, pointing out that it still has energy and responds to stimuli.
Although the rescue workers have tried to feed the whale both frozen herring and live trout, it refuses to eat.
– His lack of appetite seems to be a symptom of something else, an illness. He is malnourished and this has been going on for weeks, if not months. He no longer ate when he was out at sea either, says Essemlali.
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