After a failed rescue attempt, the French authorities decided to get rid of an orca that got lost in the Seine two weeks ago. The killer whale was first seen in the Seine on May 16. To the astonishment of passersby, he appeared between the cities of Le Havre and Rouen in northern France. At the end of the week, a group of experts attempted to guide marine mammals into the open sea with the help of sonar technology.
However, the attempts failed. Yesterday, the responsible regional authority said the killer whale showed a “lack of liveliness and contradictory reactions to sound cues and its stray and confusing behavior.” Therefore, the group of experts decided “unanimously that the only possible solution is euthanasia of the animal.”
suspected fungal infection
According to experts, the whale was in a “life-threatening health condition.” The sounds that were emitted indicated that the animal was suffering. According to the regional authority, experts suspected that the orca was suffering from onychomycosis, a fungal infection that affects more and more marine animals.
Killer whales have been seen on rare occasions in the English Channel. That they travel in rivers is very unusual. According to experts, marine mammals in rivers can save energy, but at the same time they have difficulty finding prey.
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