An orca has been swimming in the Seine in France for weeks. The stray animal is now to be brought back to the sea using a special method.
Rouen/Munich – How do you bring the orca back into the sea from the Seine? A killer whale has been lost in the river in France for weeks. Now it should be possible to guide him back into the sea with the help of a certain technique: with whale sounds.
A group of scientists, police and fire brigade, among others, started the operation at the weekend near the northern French coast, as announced by the responsible prefecture of Seine-Maritime based in Rouen. It was initially unclear whether the campaign would be successful. “This is experimental,” said bioacoustics researcher Charlotte Curé. “We’re not at all sure this will work, but it’s worth trying.”
Orca swim up to 60 kilometers upstream in the Seine
According to the Marine Mammal Research Group (GEEC), the whale was first sighted in early April by the crew of a trawler about 30 kilometers off the Normandy coast. The video recordings are clear. There is no doubt that it is an orca. Since then, the orca has been spotted time and again along the coast, in the Seine estuary and even some 60 kilometers upstream in the Seine near Yainville, just a few kilometers from Rouen. The orca would have covered about a quarter of the way to the capital Paris.
The orca is a long way from home: Typically, orcas are more at home off the coasts of Scotland, Iceland and Norway, and further south in the Atlantic Ocean in the Bay of Biscay, explained a GEEC expert. But instead of moving towards the sea, the orca keeps swimming back and forth, the prefecture said. The animal is extremely weak and has little chance of survival.
Artificial whale sounds as a help? A ship would put additional stress on the whale
If possible, the animal should not be additionally stressed. Because the animal is already so weak, the authorities, after consulting with experts, decided on the extraordinary noise method. This avoids using a ship at close range.
The whale sounds are played underwater with a loudspeaker when used. The research teams then want to look from boats some distance away to see how the orca reacts to the sounds – whether it’s attracted to them or hesitant. So they want to try to either lure him to the sea or, as it were, drive him. A drone also provides the scientists with photos and videos of the orca.
It is unclear why the animal appeared in the Seine. It is speculated that the whale first strayed into the English Channel because it is ill and can feed more easily in the calmer waters there. One possibility is that it is a young animal that has left its group. (cg with dpa)
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