STRANDED

‘Enormous’ Rescue Mission Will Hopefully Save This Beluga Stuck in the Seine River

The whale was spotted in the freshwater as early as last week, and a marine conservation group is determined to help it avoid the fate of an orca whale that died in the same river.

A beluga whale that wandered into a freshwater river in France has environmentalists scrambling to come up with a plan to safely move the sea creature back to saltwater before it starves to death. The whale was spotted in the Seine River as early as last week, and marine conservation group Sea Shepherd France is determined to undertake what they call an “enormous operation” to help it avoid the fate of an orca whale that died in the same river in May. The organization also suspects the beluga is sick and starving due to how thin it is. It’s not entirely clear how the delicate move might happen, but French media reports that rescuers may use a barge and a truck to get the 13-foot whale to a saltwater river basin for “a period of care” during which conservationists can observe and potentially treat the arctic animal.