French authorities to inject vitamins into beluga whale stranded in Seine river

The beluga whale which was spotted in the Seine river earlier this week has refused food following which, reports say, concerned French authorities are planning to inject vitamins into the underweight animal.

The rescuers saythey have tried to feed the whale with frozen herring and live trout even asofficials claimed they had spotted small spots on its pale skin. The authorities have said that injecting vitamins may help to stimulate its appetite amid growing concern over the mammal's health.

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Beluga whales normally do not drift into French waters and are usually found in cold Arctic conditions. A few months ago, an orca was spotted in the Seine belonging to the dolphin family. It was later found dead as reports claimed it suffered from exhaustion.

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Another whale was spotted in the Seine river in June. Experts said it was a ten-metre-longMinke whale.

The beluga has been swimming slowly in thebasin between two locks in the Seine river between the Poses dam and Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne with vets worried over its health. There has been no decision yet on ensuringreturn of the beluga to its natural habitat due to signs of deteriorating health.

However, experts have been contemplating various ways to transport the whale butit is still unclear whether the beluga is strong enough to undertake the journey.

French authorities had earlier said the mammal had spent little time on the surface and had good lung capacity as officials used drones to track the beluga. The rescuers say feeding the beluga is an urgent need so that it does not suffer the same fate as the orca which died due to exhaustion and starvation.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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