A bullet was found at the base of the skull of the orca who died at the end of May in the Seine, according to the autopsy which, however, favors death by starvation, indicates Wednesday July 6 the prefecture of Seine-Maritime.
“
No certainty can be drawn at this stage
” on a link between this bullet and the death of the animal, according to the press release, it “
is not possible to date the moment when the bullet entered the body of the animal.
animals
”.
The Rouen public prosecutor has been informed of this discovery and "
will determine the follow-up he wishes to take
", according to the press release.
For its part, the Sea Shepherd France association announced on twitter its intention to file a “
complaint against X for attempted destruction of a protected species
”.
“
If the exact cause of death is not known, the elements collected indicate that his death is not directly linked to his passage in the Seine
”, adds the prefecture in its press release.
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She was to be euthanized, the orca in difficulty in the Seine was found dead
Other expected test results
The first results of the post-mortem examinations “
lead to favor the hypothesis that the animal died of inanition (state of weakness caused by the fact that the animal has stopped eating)
”, according to the press release.
This state of weakness could be explained by the isolation of the cetacean, which usually evolves in a group.
Read alsoOrca dead in the Seine: its skeleton soon at the National Museum of Natural History
The necropsy - a post-mortem examination carried out on an animal - carried out on May 31 confirms the "
poor physical condition " of the orca, an "
immature
" female
of more than four meters and 1100 kg, shortly before her death.
Further test results are expected in the coming months.
The skeleton will then be prepared and sent to the marine mammal reserve of the National Museum of Natural History.
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Killer whales seen for the first time in the Strait of Messina in Italy
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