![Ailing beluga put down in last-ditch French rescue bid](https://www.americanmarconiwirelessnews.com/media/shared/articles/8e/fd/fd/Ailing-beluga-put-down-in-last-ditc-023161.jpg)
-
Macron, ex-PM remember bloody liberation of French port
-
Noel Gallagher's 'Brit Pop' guitars go under hammer
-
US clears way for hearing aid feature in new Apple AirPods Pro
-
Hamilton not disappointed by Newey move to Aston Martin
-
Final report clears WADA in Chinese swimmers case, adds rules need strengthening
-
US calls for Africa to get two permanent UN Security Council seats
-
Burrow's Bengals aim to bounce back against Chiefs
-
Ingebrigtsen says getting stronger, bullish over world records
-
Putin warns West risks 'war' if it backs Ukraine long-range strikes
-
Peru mourns divisive former strongman Fujimori
-
Vaughan's son takes 11 wickets as Somerset revive title bid by beating champions Surrey
-
Long-awaited case on Man City charges to start on Monday: report
-
PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed €55 million
-
Harris, Trump target swing states after fierce debate
-
Ten Hag hits back at Ronaldo criticism over Man Utd ambition
-
Oscar hopefuls to bookend US French film festival
-
UN chief calls for 'courage' ahead of Summit of the Future
-
French rugby federation blames 'poorly managed' supervision for youth player drowning
-
Movie producer Harvey Weinstein indicted on new charges: US media
-
Ex-Scotland captain Hogg to miss Montpellier match after bail release
-
'Historic': Bad weather slashes wine harvest in France's Jura
-
ECB rate cut boosts European stocks, euro
-
Piastri not 'pulling over' for Norris at every race
-
'Energised' Tebogo looking to close season with Diamond League bang
-
Millions in SE Asia battle floods, death toll passes 250
-
Fiat 500 electric production pauses for one month
-
London Fashion Week opens with Charli XCX party and second-hand runways
-
ECB cuts rates again, Lagarde backs EU reform call
-
Storm Francine downgraded but still drenching US south
-
Everton say 'work to be done' on Textor takeover
-
Shelling kills 3 Red Cross workers in E.Ukraine
-
Shelling kills 3 Red Cross workers killed in E.Ukraine
-
Iran president makes 'historic' visit to Iraqi Kurdistan
-
Brigitte Macron awarded damages over false trans claim
-
ECB rate cut boosts Europeans stocks, euro
-
Deadly Israeli strike on Gaza school draws global condemnation
-
Russia recaptures part of Kursk region
-
Bike-loving Dutch grapple with 'fatbike' phenomena
-
Ahead of Champions League warm-up, PSG are soaring and Brest slumping
-
ECB cuts rates again as inflation slows
-
Denmark's von Trier to direct a new film
-
Arteta agrees new Arsenal deal
-
Jon Bon Jovi helps woman standing on edge of US bridge
-
SpaceX makes history with first spacewalks by private citizens
-
England's Livingstone 'feels like a kid again' after injury setbacks
-
Brazil urges EU to suspend 'punitive' anti-deforestation law
-
Myanmar residents flee deadly floods in boats and on makeshift rafts
-
Power struggle and chaotic player trading: What's going at Chelsea?
-
Blinken seeks common cause in Poland after Ukraine jitters
-
Stocks rally on cooler US inflation, before ECB rate call
RBGPF | 4.7% | 59.81 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.16% | 25.2 | $ | |
BCC | 3.63% | 126.69 | $ | |
AZN | -2.17% | 78.82 | $ | |
GSK | -1.58% | 43.09 | $ | |
RYCEF | 2.33% | 6.45 | $ | |
SCS | 0.52% | 13.41 | $ | |
BTI | -0.35% | 38.985 | $ | |
RELX | 1.58% | 47.905 | $ | |
NGG | -0.25% | 69.15 | $ | |
RIO | 1.02% | 61.84 | $ | |
JRI | -0.04% | 13.175 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.17% | 25.174 | $ | |
BCE | 0.19% | 35.258 | $ | |
VOD | 0% | 10.04 | $ | |
BP | 0.93% | 31.585 | $ |
![Ailing beluga put down in last-ditch French rescue bid](https://www.americanmarconiwirelessnews.com/media/shared/articles/8e/fd/fd/Ailing-beluga-put-down-in-last-ditc-023161.jpg)
Ailing beluga put down in last-ditch French rescue bid
An ailing beluga whale that strayed into France's Seine river was put down by vets Wednesday during a last-ditch rescue attempt to keep the animal alive, local officials said.
The fate of the whale captured the hearts of people across the world since it was first spotted in the highly unusual habitat of the river that flows through Paris, far from its usual Arctic waters.
Rescuers had worked overnight to lift the male out of the Seine by crane for transfer to a saltwater pen, in a delicate, final effort to save the life of the ailing mammal, which was no longer eating.
It was then driven at a painstakingly slow speed north to the Normandy port of Ouistreham, where vets hoped to release the animal into a habourside pen and then possibly into the wild.
But the experts unanimously decided after examining the beluga on arrival in Ouistreham that there was no other option than to put the male down, the local authority of the Calvados region said.
"Despite the technical and logistical efforts, the condition of the cetacean unfortunately deteriorated during the trip," it said.
"Examinations showed that the beluga was in a state of great weakness and its respiratory activity failing. The decision was therefore taken collectively, with the veterinarians, to euthanize it," it added.
- 'Tragic outcome' -
After nearly six hours of work by dozens of divers and rescuers, the 800-kilogramme (1,800-pound) cetacean had been lifted from the river by a net and crane at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT) and placed on a barge under the immediate care of a dozen veterinarians.
The 24 divers involved in the operation and the rescuers handling the ropes had to try several times to lure the animal into the nets to be lifted out of the water.
The beluga was then given a health check and driven to Ouistreham.
"During the journey the vets noted a worsening of his health and in particular the breathing," said Florence Ollivet-Courtois, a vet for the local emergency services, in a video posted on social media.
"The animal was not getting enough air and suffering visibly. We therefore decided that it made no sense to set it free and proceeded to euthanasia."
"The transfer was risky, but essential to give an otherwise doomed animal a chance," the Sea Shepherd NGO, which has been assisting in the rescue, said on Twitter.
"Following the deterioration of his condition, the vets took the decision to euthanize him. We are devastated by this tragic outcome that we knew was very likely," it said.
The four-metre (13-foot) whale was discovered more than a week ago heading towards Paris and was stranded about 130 kilometres (80 miles) inland from the English Channel at Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne in Normandy.
Since Friday, the animal's movement inland had been blocked by a lock some 70 kilometres northwest of Paris, and its health deteriorated after it refused to eat.
- Killer whale also died -
This is the second drama involving a big marine mammal in an unexpected area to grip France in the last months.
A sick killer whale -- a member of the dolphin family also known as an orca -- was spotted in the Seine in May but died after attempts failed to guide the animal back to the sea.
Interest in the beluga's fate has spread far beyond France, generating a large influx of financial donations and other aid from conservation groups as well as individuals, officials said.
While belugas migrate south in the autumn to feed as ice forms in their native Arctic waters, they rarely venture so far.
The trapped whale is only the second beluga ever sighted in France. The first was pulled out of the Loire estuary in a fisherman's net in 1948.
J.Oliveira--AMWN