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Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — Attempts to feed dangerously lean beluga whales that have strayed into France's Seine have so far failed, and experts say the whales are now stranded. Trying to rescue a whale from a river lock. , environmentalists said on Monday.
The marine conservation group Sea Shepherd Her France tweeted on Monday that "feeding attempts continue in parallel with finding a solution to get out of the locks in the best possible conditions." did.
Site experts warn that beluga whales should not remain in warm, stagnant water between locks for long periods of time.
"Belugas haven't eaten yet but continue to show curiosity," Shih Shepherd France tweeted. Overnight, the whale "scraped the walls of the lock and removed the spots on its back. Antibiotics might have helped."
It was first identified in a French river far from its habitat. Drone footage captured by a French fire brigade showed a whale meandering slowly in the pale green waters between Paris and the Normandy city of Rouen, dozens of kilometers inland from the sea.
Since Friday, experts have tried feeding the beluga whales with herring carcasses and live trout, without success. Sea Shepherds fear that the whales will slowly starve to death in the waterways.
Local authorities say veterinarians are administering vitamins and products that stimulate the whales' appetite, as well as treating them.
