A dangerously emaciated beluga whale discovered in the Seine is refusing food, raising concerns that it may starve to death.
Environmentalists are working around the clock to persuade the Arctic animal to eat fish, which it has thus far refused to do, out of concern that it will starve to death.
Wednesday, the beluga was spotted in a French waterway, thousands of miles away from its home in the Arctic.
The whale was monitored by a drone as it swam through a stretch of river between Paris and the Normandy city of Rouen.
On Thursday, the animal reportedly “barely moved,” and on Friday, it appeared to be swimming a 25-mile distance between two sets of locks north of the capital.
The beluga rejected a herring harvest supplied by the conservation organization Sea Shepherd France on Friday, prompting concerns that it is starving to death.
They tweeted, “The beluga is currently uninterested in the seafood being served to it.” We remain optimistic that he will accept food.”
Early on Saturday morning, an update stated, “Our teams took turns with the beluga throughout the night.” He consistently refuses the fish supplied to him.
“During the course of the day, we will assess the situation with the state services.”
An earlier tweet stated, “Beluga in the Seine: we are currently with him, and he is underweight. Today, we will attempt to feed it, which is an absolute necessity. The operation’s success will depend on his response.”
The animal did not respond to attempts to steer it back to safer waters and demonstrated “fleeing behavior toward the boats,” according to officials.
Volunteers are being as quiet as possible to “prevent stress that could worsen its health,” according to a statement.
On Friday, the beluga swam away from boats that were attempting to steer it to the river mouth between the seaports of Le Havre and Honfleur.
Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, stated that removing it from the ocean could put it at risk.
On Friday, Ms. Essemlali said that the whale is “doomed to die if it remains in the Seine.”
Pale skin and bulbous foreheads distinguish beluga whales from other species.
They are social animals that often live, hunt, and migrate in groups.
