FRANCE will put down a killer whale stranded in the River Seine for weeks, after attempts to lead the animal out to sea failed and revealed it is severely sick, said local authorities yesterday.

Experts this weekend worked with sonar techniques to aid the animal back into its natural salt water habitat, after its appearance in the iconic French river that flows through Paris astonished onlookers.

The killer whale, also known as an orca, has been sighted between the northern port city of Le Havre in Normandy and the city of Rouen further inland after first being spotted on May 16.

“The working group of experts unanimously concluded that the only feasible solution is to euthanise the animal,” said regional authority in a statement.

The animal “showed a lack of alertness, inconsistent reactions to sound stimuli and erratic and disoriented behaviour”.

“The sound recordings also revealed vocal calls similar to cries of distress,” it said, adding that the animal appeared to be in a “critical state of health”.

The animal appears to be suffering from mucormycosis, a fungal infection increasingly seen among marine mammals and that causes them severe distress, said regional authority.

Preparations are being made to euthanise the marine mammal, but the authorities will give no detail about how or where it will be carried out to save it further distress or endanger the public.

Killer whales belong to the dolphin family. They are occasionally spotted in the English Channel, but such sightings are considered rare, let alone in a river.

Experts said while being in a river helped the animal conserve energy, it also complicated its search for prey, especially for species known to hunt in packs. – AFP, May 30, 2022.