A 4-meter-long killer whale that has crossed the French River Seine since May 16 will be euthanized after multiple attempts to guide it back to the sea failed.
Key points:
- An attempt to lure the whale with a drone that mimicked the sounds of killer whales failed
- Experts said the animal responded “erratically” and “inconsistently.”
- The mammal suffers from a terminal fungal disease
The young whale, identified as a male, swam upstream to the city of Rouen after being seen for the first time at the mouth of the river between the port of Le Havre and the city of Honfleur.
So far, the weak animal has not been able to return to the ocean swimming on its own.
After a failed rescue attempt with a drone that mimicked the sounds of killer whales, to which the whale responded “erratically” and “inconsistently,” the scientists concluded that the whale was suffering from a fungal disease.
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The black fungus, a disease that until now was only observed in whales in North America, can spread to the heart, lungs and brain, explaining the erratic behavior of the animal.
The disease, which is in an advanced and terminal state for the killer whale, could contaminate other marine mammals.
French authorities are currently preparing for euthanasia of the whale.