Europe 1 with AFP 3:15 p.m., August 9, 2022
An operation to extract the beluga, a cetacean of four meters and about 800 kg which has been since Friday in a basin of the Seine in Saint-Pierre-La-Garenne (Eure), will be carried out on Tuesday evening, announced the prefecture.
An operation to extract the beluga, a cetacean of four meters and about 800 kg which has been since Friday in a basin of the Seine in Saint-Pierre-La-Garenne (Eure), will be carried out on Tuesday evening, announced the prefecture.
“An operation to transport the beluga lost in the Seine will be attempted today in the evening”, told the media the prefecture of Eure, which is piloting the operation to save the animal usually evolving in cold waters.
Transportation of the cetacean by truck
According to the prefecture, the extraction should begin at 8:00 p.m. and the transport of the cetacean must be carried out by truck to an as yet unspecified destination.
A press briefing from the sub-prefect of Evreux must take place around 5:30 p.m. to present the outlines of the operation.
The exceptional presence of the marine animal in the Seine and 70 km from Paris arouses great interest, beyond the French borders, with an influx of donations from foundations, associations and individuals to try to save the cetacean.
An extraordinary operation
A member of the Marineland team in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes), who arrived on the scene Monday evening, said that the operation would be "out of the ordinary".
The animal should be deposited for a few days in a seawater lock, the time to receive care, before being taken offshore to be released.