“The decision was made to favor a gentle intervention method,” said the prefecture, to try to save the wild animal in a “very weakened” state.
An orca in difficulty in the Seine between Rouen and Le Havre will be attracted to the sea using sound stimuli, announced Friday May 27 the prefecture of Seine-Maritime which favors “a gentle method of intervention“.
Read alsoAn orca in great difficulty in the Seine, between Rouen and Le Havre
Based on the proposals made by a group of experts and to take into account the deteriorated state of health of the killer whale, “the decision was made to favor a gentle method of intervention“, said the prefecture in a press release. It aims to monitorremotely from the animal through the use of a drone, coordinated with an intervention aimed at ensuring the diffusion of sound stimuli (sounds emitted by a population of killer whales) to attract and guide the animal towards the sea», its natural environment.
This solution was adopted following a meeting held on Friday, under the authority of the prefect, involving all the players and partners involved. According to the prefecture, for “try to identify a solution to encourage the wild animal to return to the sea“, a working group met on Thursday bringing together national and international experts in marine mammals.
“We are really very very worried”
On Wednesday the prefecture had confirmed the presence in the Seine of this “male killer whale, protected and wild species” in the state “very weak“. Seen for the first time on May 16 between Honfleur and Le Havre, near the Pont de Normandie, the orca is “most likely arrival already weakened towards the Seine estuary“, told AFP Gérard Mauger, vice-president of the GECC, an association based in Cherbourg commissioned by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) for the study and preservation of marine mammals in the Channel. “The vital prognosis is engaged. We are really very worried», underlined Gérard Mauger.
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The prefecture had also recalled that this animal “naturally has no vocation to evolve separated from its group, nor in fresh water courses. He could be hurt or sick“. Calling out “avoid any gatherings or crowds near it“who could”put this wild animal in danger but above all represents a risk for people“, the prefecture had announced the taking of prohibition measures legally based on a notice to navigation, “so that the cetacean is not approached“. According to Gérard Mauger, this killer whale whose length is “difficult to estimate“could measure”within 4/5 meters“.