Beluga whale in River Seine dies after rescue attempt

A beluga whale that became trapped in the River Seine in France has sadly had to be euthanised after developing breathing difficulties during rescue efforts.

The whale had entered the river several days ago after entering from the English Channel and swum 80 miles upstream before its progress was blocked by a lock.

Experts had been monitoring the whale but it appeared not to be feeding and showed no signs of wanting to return downstream. With concerns over the whale's health increasing the decision was made to remove the whale from the river and attempt to transport it back to the sea on the back of a lorry.

Unfortunately, the beluga's condition deteriorated on the journey and vets decided to euthanise the creature.

Beluga whales are sociable and usually inhabit arctic and sub-arctic waters though another whale turned up in the Thames estuary in 2018.