Rescuers face race against time to rescue beluga whale in France’s River Seine
PARIS — Emergency services in France are facing a race against time to save a beluga whale that has swum into the River Seine and is heading south toward Paris
PARIS — Emergency services in France are facing a race against time to save a beluga whale that has swum into the River Seine and is heading south toward Paris.
“It is puzzling for sure,” Emmanuel Pasco-Viel, the operations coordinator in Normandy’s l’Eure prefecture, told NBC News Friday.
The beluga, an endangered species that is better suited to freezing arctic and subarctic waters, was first spotted Tuesday, said Pasco-Viel, who is responsible for monitoring it.
He added that firefighters, police officers and members of the military have been brought in to help guide the whale back into its natural saltwater habitat, along with the coast guard.
“We had a helicopter fly over the waters to help us track the beluga,” he said. “Even drones are used. We will decide what is the best way to help the beluga, and how to guide it back to sea.”
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