Several boats have criss-crossed the forty kilometers of the Seine which separate the locks of Poses and Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne (Eure) this Friday all day to spot the beluga trapped in this sector.
On the boats were gendarmes from the river brigade, firefighters from Eure, experts from the GECC (Cotentin cetacean expert group), members of the OFB (French biodiversity office) and members of the NGO Sea Shepherd, an international organization for the protection of the oceans.
They were able to spotted the animal several times, in the Andelys sector but he moves a lot, gets scared when the boats approach him and swims quickly. Which makes the experts say that it is, certainly thinner but, still lively and toned, a positive point which made them take the decision to “let him live his life as a wild animal“explains Isabelle Dorliat-Pouzet, the general secretary of the Prefecture of Eure.
No rescue attempt yet
“It is in the interest and well-being of the animal on the advice of specialists“that this decision has been taken continues the sub-prefect because them “risks for the animal would be much greater“if a rescue attempt by pulling it out of the water for example was attempted. This hypothesis “is not ruled out but not privileged” at this stage says Isabelle Dorliat-Pouzet.
– Benedict Robin
Attempt to feed him
Despite everything, the animal is not in its natural habitat, it has nothing to eat. The NGO Sea Shepherd therefore wants to try to feed him, by bringing him herrings. But it is not certain that these operations will succeed because the beluga feeds on living fish and for the moment it will only be offered dead fish.
Happy precedents
The hopes of specialists and state services are based on previous similar events, the latest of which, in 2018, was a beluga which got lost in the Thames in England. “He stayed three months in the Thames and left“ emphasizes Sophie Poncet, marine mammal project manager at the OFB, Channel-North Sea coast delegation.
However, the beluga here in the Seine faces a significant obstacle. He will have to cross the Poses lock in the opposite direction, which he managed to cross, without anyone knowing how. “If he did it, he can do it again” wants to believe on his side Isabelle Dorliat-Pouzet.
In the meantime, two boats, no more, will remain as close as possible to the cetacean on a daily basis, that of Sea Shepherd and that of the OFB. Daily points are planned to monitor the situation and decide on the next steps.