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The NGO Sea Shepherd picture of the Beluga whale trapped in the Seine River, after getting lost. FRANK BELLAISCH

Experts planning how to rescue malnourished beluga whale from Seine river

The last-ditch bid to save the animal is partly because of fears that the river’s warm water is harming its health.

EXPERTS ARE LOOKING at a plan to transport a malnourished beluga whale that has swum up France’s River Seine back to sea before its health deteriorates any further, officials said Monday.

Sub-prefect Isabelle Dorliat-Pouzet of France’s northern Eure department said they were seriously considering the option.

“In the interests of this beluga it can be attempted,” she said. “We are working hard on it.” But she was unable to say when they might make the attempt.

Officials in the prefecture of the Eure told AFP that the whale could be transported on a barge, overland or even by helicopter.

But the challenges are considerable, given they would be transporting a creature that weighs some 800 kilograms and is already sick and malnourished.

It would be a journey of 130 kilometres just to get to the north coast of France.

Members of environmental group Sea Shepherd monitoring the whale said Monday that it was no longer swimming up-river.

But it was still not eating, Sea Shepherd France president Lamya Essemlali told AFP in a text message. There was, however, “no worsening of its condition”, she said.

The whale was first spotted in the river that runs through Paris to the Channel last Tuesday.

beluga-whale-stranded-in-seine-river Several attempts to feed the whale have failed in the past days. FRANK BELLAISCH FRANK BELLAISCH

Since Friday, it has been between two locks some 70 kilometres north of the French capital.

Marineland experts join operation

The last-ditch bid to save the animal is partly because of fears that the river’s warm water is harming its health.

Another alternative would be to open the locks in the hope that the beluga swims towards the Channel, authorities said.

But doing that runs the risk that it moves further upriver towards Paris, which would be even worse for it.

Several attempts to feed the whale have failed in the past days.

A three-person team from Marineland, Europe’s biggest sea animal theme park located in the southern French resort of Antibes, was due on site on Monday.

“We’ve been following the operations at a distance from the start,” said Isabelle Brasseur, in charge of education, research and conservation at Marineland.

“We are slowly making progress,” she told AFP. “There’s not an ideal solution, we must weigh the pros and the cons” of each option to rescue the whale.

One of the experts on the team is a specialist for sea mammals, she said, adding they were bringing a stretcher and other equipment to try and move the animal.

On Saturday, veterinarians administered “vitamins and products to stimulate its appetite”, said a statement Sunday by the police in Normandy’s Eure department, which is overseeing the rescue effort.

Belugas are normally found only in cold Arctic waters, and while they migrate south in the autumn to feed as ice forms, they rarely venture so far.

An adult can reach up to four metres in length.

According to France’s Pelagis Observatory, specialised in sea mammals, the nearest beluga population is off the Svalbard archipelago, north of Norway, 3,000 kilometres from the Seine.

© AFP 2022

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    Mute Desmond Wisley
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    May 21st 2015, 4:08 PM

    He looks like Rolf Harris

    227
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    Mute Paul Doyle
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    May 21st 2015, 4:10 PM

    Ha ha, never eating KFC again,

    109
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    Mute Paul Doyle
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    May 21st 2015, 4:15 PM

    And one more thing, IMO why they don’t sell curry sauce is beyond me, that gravy is a poor substitute for curry with ur chicken

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    Mute Ben Coughlan
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    May 21st 2015, 5:49 PM

    Paul, You beautiful man, you’re completely correct.

    Their food is nasty anyway like, but the lack of curry sauce is unforgivable.

    44
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    Mute Alien8
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    May 21st 2015, 7:00 PM

    Their gravy was often the only reason for going there. I recall many the time going to KFC and coming out with fingers burned like they were in a hot bath full of chicken, half cooked fries and MSG…. mmm…

    45
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    Mute Niall
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    May 21st 2015, 9:25 PM

    I only tell you one time. Don’t fcuk me Eric……. don’t you ever try to fcuk me!

    25
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    Mute josecafe
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    May 21st 2015, 10:02 PM

    Buzz off bozo the kfc gravy is nice !

    14
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    Mute Skippy
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    May 21st 2015, 4:13 PM

    Denis o brien wins again, and gets a gagging order against any reporting of his corruption……….discusss

    97
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    Mute Mr T
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    May 21st 2015, 4:24 PM

    No. But do you like kfc?

    67
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    Mute CreditTiger
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    May 21st 2015, 10:26 PM

    DojiFone Denis has more spicy state secrets up his sleeves than Colonel Rolf has had chicken dinners!!

    13
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    Mute Paul Doyle
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    May 21st 2015, 4:08 PM

    Looks a bit like Rolf Harris

    88
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    Mute Mark Nolan
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    May 21st 2015, 4:21 PM

    Id consider going to KFC again if they place was clean & the chicken was hot!

    82
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
    Favourite Neal Ireland Hello
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    May 21st 2015, 5:43 PM

    Or if they started having nice food

    33
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    Mute Brian Gormley
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    May 21st 2015, 4:53 PM

    A fella was telling me that his son had his head wrecked to take him to McDonalds so he told him “if you can spell McDonalds ill take ye” so the young fella said ” ah fu.k it we’ll go to KFC

    80
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    Mute John Ryan
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    May 21st 2015, 4:55 PM

    Hillbillys in Cork after a feed of pints.Nothing KFC has to offer even comes close.

    58
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    Mute tmwtbc
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    May 21st 2015, 5:01 PM

    I’ve been to the Hillbillys in Fairview a few times. Decent stuff.

    40
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    Mute John Ryan
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    May 21st 2015, 5:22 PM

    And they have curry sauce.

    15
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    Mute Ken McCarthy
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    May 21st 2015, 4:10 PM

    If I want to wrap my mouth around breasts, legs & thighs, I’ll have a night in. Cheers Colonel.

    53
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    Mute kalpol
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    May 21st 2015, 4:50 PM

    So how you getting on since ya moved back in with your ma?

    114
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    Mute Ken McCarthy
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    May 21st 2015, 6:06 PM

    Good now. Your sis feels right at home too.

    31
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    Mute kalpol
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    May 21st 2015, 6:17 PM

    I dont have any sisters… but I have a fat brother, could be him?

    56
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    Mute Alan mulvey
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    May 21st 2015, 4:10 PM

    Eat it in bray a few years ago and never again it was awful

    52
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    Mute Negativebird
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    May 21st 2015, 4:15 PM

    Have to agree…absolutely revolting it was.However,you should try the one in blanch,it’s a bit better.

    9
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    Mute marcus o reilly
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    May 21st 2015, 4:52 PM

    I hate parking in the retail carpark beside kfc. The smell is nice for about 2 seconds and then fell sick from the smell.

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    Mute Deco James Connolly
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    May 21st 2015, 5:38 PM

    Hope you didn’t hit your head when you fell .

    11
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    Mute Brian Power
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    May 21st 2015, 4:16 PM

    Anytime I go to McDonald’s its packed dont see it slowing down

    40
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    Mute kalpol
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    May 21st 2015, 4:19 PM

    Its nigella they need not a Rolf Harris lookalike.
    The food gives you ebola side effects

    38
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    Mute The Man With No Name
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    May 21st 2015, 4:13 PM

    No taco fries, no business.

    27
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    Mute The Todd
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    May 21st 2015, 4:16 PM

    I genuinely read that headline as “KFC is bringing back chicken” haha then I thought, that will never happen

    26
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    Mute Bert McCann
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    May 21st 2015, 4:51 PM

    That’s definitely Ronan Collins…….

    21
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    Mute Philip Cooper
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    May 21st 2015, 4:52 PM

    Tiny little chickens killed, plucked, covered in spicy batter and crumbs and deliciously gobbled up.

    19
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    Mute The Todd
    Favourite The Todd
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    May 21st 2015, 4:57 PM

    Or chickens with no eyes or feathers being genetically processed in a lab, there’s a few documentaries about it. Horrid stuff

    21
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    Mute Kárl
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    May 21st 2015, 7:55 PM

    Is it really wise to use someone who looks like a white plantation owner from over a century ago to promote chicken in a basket (or is modern alternative)?

    19
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    Mute CreditTiger
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    May 21st 2015, 10:29 PM

    All that’s missing is the salty melon balls!

    4
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    Mute Kevin Whyte
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    May 21st 2015, 4:56 PM

    Best of them, all unhealthy but KFC is the best tasting, some of their outlets need a good cleaning, the operators need to be better supervised by KVC, I walked out of Bundoron last year because it was not near clean, I have always found Athlone great

    18
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    Mute tmwtbc
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    May 21st 2015, 5:12 PM

    The one in Carrick-on-Shannon is the best I’ve seen. Spotless, and the girl there remembered my order as I passed though (for work) every few days.

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    Mute Fran Cowzer
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    May 21st 2015, 7:36 PM

    They kept him alive with 11 secret herbs and spices

    15
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    Mute zacaramanta
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    May 21st 2015, 4:24 PM

    Everythg in bray Is shttttt mc Donald’s Eddie spocrketts it’s un believable shtt
    Go to Dundrum taste like the ritz

    12
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    Mute Kevin Whelan
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    May 21st 2015, 10:19 PM

    He’s looking alright for a man that was on ice for 20 years

    8
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    Mute Sarah Clifford
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    May 21st 2015, 7:47 PM

    They can resurrect the messiah for all I care. I still will never eat in that kip

    8
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    Mute Christine Hanway
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    May 21st 2015, 10:54 PM

    Hillbillys pisses all over KFC… All der missing from der menu is the hot wings an unlike KFC they’re nearly too generous with the chips.. New one on Walkinstown roundabout is tops

    7
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    Mute Paddy Devaney
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    May 21st 2015, 4:31 PM

    He won’t be around long with a cough like that

    6
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    Mute Michael Sands
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    May 22nd 2015, 3:34 AM

    HACCP comes to mind then, extra flavouring?

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    Mute Dean Anderson
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    May 21st 2015, 11:58 PM

    That’s one of the worst ads I’ve ever seen, worse than McD’s new Hamburglar. That eejit playing the Colonel gave me the creeps.

    4
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    Mute Tom Healy
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    May 23rd 2015, 8:56 AM

    Looks like a creepy Rolf Harris
    Eric fail KFC

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    May 22nd 2015, 3:33 AM

    Wasn’t he an awful racist?

    1
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