a risky rescue operation begins

Will the beluga stranded in the Seine for a week survive? A rescue attempt is expected to begin Tuesday, August 9. The objective is to extract the cetacean from the river to place it in a pool of salt water. The operation could take several hours. “The crane is arriving in the lock. It is a question of lifting an animal of 800 kg all the same. The operation (…) should last a good part of the night”Explain the journalist Thibault Petit, live from Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne (Eure) for the 19/20 of France 3, Tuesday.

Rescuers must first attempt to catch the beluga “with a net held by 24 divers, under water”, says the journalist. They will then place the beluga in a refrigerated truck, with, inside, “straw bales, wet towels to keep him hydrated and at a temperature around 20°C”, adds Thibault Petit. The operation is risky because the state of health of the animal is considered worrying. “He remains very emaciated and still refuses to eat”says the journalist.