Stranded beluga whale lifted out of France's Seine river in dramatic rescue attempt

Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne, France — A beluga whale stranded in the Seine river in northern France for more than a week was removed from the water early Wednesday in a risky rescue operation, but officials said the animal died as it was driven in a refrigerated truck back toward the coast. .

"Despite an unprecedented rescue operation we must announce with sadness that the cetacean has died," the authorities in the Normandy region of Calvados tweeted, adding that the whale had to be put down during transport.

But officials in Eure, where the beluga was stranded, said the whale was worryingly thin and in bad shape when it was lifted out of the river.

"It bodes, according to veterinarians, for a poor vital prognosis," the Eure prefecture said in a statement after the first stage of the rescue operation, which it said was "particularly complex.".

Isabelle Dorliat-Pouzet, secretary general of the Eure prefecture, said earlier that medical tests would be carried out before transporting the whale.

"Today is a great day for this beluga whale and for everyone involved in its rescue," conservation group Sea Shepherd said on its website.

But the operation to return it to the sea was never without huge risks, said Isabelle Brasseur of the Marineland sea animal park in southern France, part of a Marineland team sent to assist with the rescue.