By Nancy Ing and Elizabeth Kuhr -
NBC News
The beluga whale that had been stranded in the French river Seine for days died this Wednesday during a risky rescue operation to save its life.
The 4-meter-long white mammal was successfully pulled from the river, where its surprising presence had drawn international attention while growing concern about its health.
Members of the rescue team watch as a beluga whale is netted out of the French River Seine on the night of August 9, 2022. Jean-François Monier / AFP via Getty Images
But the whale, which was at dangerous levels of thinness, began to have difficulty breathing during the rescue efforts, which led the authorities to decide to euthanize him to avoid prolonging his suffering.
"Despite having organized an unprecedented beluga rescue operation, we are saddened to announce the death of the cetacean," the Calvados prefecture announced on its Twitter social network account.
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"Veterinarians noted a deterioration in its respiratory activity and we could immediately verify that the animal was suffering, breathing insufficiently and its suffering was evident," explained Florence Ollivet-Courtois, a veterinarian with the fire and emergency service of the Essonne region.
Experts managed to fit the beluga whale into a net and pull it out of the river with the help of a crane. Jean-François Monier / AFP via Getty Images
Given this situation, "it was not pertinent to release him again, so euthanasia should be applied," he added.
A team of divers, veterinarians and lifeguards tried overnight to save the mammal in a complex operation, according to the marine life defense organization Sea Shepherd France, which oversaw the mission.
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After trapping the mammal in a river navigation lock about 60 miles from Paris, they built a net around the 1,700-pound whale.
A group of veterinarians check the condition of the beluga whale once it is out of the Seine River. Jean-François Monier / AFP via Getty Images
The team then pulled her out of the water with the help of a tractor and crane, in an operation that took six hours.
The animal was then to be transported in a refrigerated truck to a saltwater pool in the Normandy region.
"We have no choice," said Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, before the operation began.
"You have to move from here because this environment is not suitable for your health," she stressed.
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The beluga was first seen last week swimming down the Seine towards Paris.
Rescuers attempted to feed the spindly-looking mammal trout and squid, but it refused to eat.
The beluga whale, an endangered species, was introduced in a truck that was to take it to a pool with salt water.Benjamin Legendre / AFP via Getty Images
This endangered species is best suited to arctic and subarctic waters, as its thick fur allows it to live in icy waters.
Beluga whales migrate south in the fall and return in the spring when the Arctic ice begins to melt, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Sometimes they stay near rivers or travel along them.
It is not the first time that a whale has been seen entering a river in Europe.
In 2018, another beluga swam across England's River Thames, just outside London.