Stranded Beluga Whale Lifted Out Of France's Seine River After A Week

A stranded beluga whale was lifted out of France's Seine river early Wednesday, according to NGO Sea Shepherd, which was involved in the rescue.

"The beluga was taken out of the water after long hours of preparation and effort," it said on Twitter. "Congratulations to the teams involved for having taken up this challenge."

French authorities on Tuesday moved ahead with an ambitious rescue plan for the beluga whale, which had been trapped for a week.

The 6-hour operation began at 10 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on Tuesday night at the Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne basin in Eure, Normandy. As many as 24 divers and rescuers tried to trap the beluga into nets, and by 4 a.m. (0200 GMT) the cetacean was trapped and a large crane was deployed to lift it out of the water.

It was later moved to a refrigerated truck to be carried 160 km away to the port of Ouistreham, in Calvados, where it will stay in the seawater basin for three days until it regains its health before being released into the open sea.

Veterinarians who examined the animal said it was alive, but had lost a lot of weight. The whale's health was deteriorating as it had refused food.

The NGO said the mammal did not have any infectious disease and "veterinarians will try to restimulate digestion."

The beluga, which is found in the freezing waters of Arctic and sub-Arctic seas, had strayed in the English Channel and was stuck in the Seine river. It was spotted near Eure in Normandy on Aug. 2.

In May, an ailing 4-metre (13-foot) orca, spotted in the same river, died after an attempt to guide it back to the Channel failed. -