The operation lasted six long hours.
During the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the beluga spotted at the beginning of August in the process of going up the Seine and stuck in recent days in a lock could be taken out of the water.
First successful step for the rescue of this animal normally evolving in cold waters, judged to be in an "alarming" state of health, which will find sea water in Calvados, where it will be placed under surveillance.
1. Preparations ahead of the rescue operation, which began around 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne lock (Eure).
Twitter/Sea Shepherd France
2. The 24 divers engaged and the rescuers handling the ropes around the lock had to try several times to lure the animal into the nets and the structure capable of lifting it out of the water.
Twitter/Sea Shepherd France
3. The cetacean ended up being lifted in a net pulled by a crane and placed on a barge.
AFP/JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER
4. He was immediately taken care of by a dozen vets dressed in white coveralls.
REUTERS/BENOIT TESSIER
5. The beluga was placed in the back of a truck which took the road to Ouistreham (Calvados) at dawn, the next stage in this race against time.
AFP/BENJAMIN LEGENDRE
6. The refrigerated truck left the lock shortly after 7:30 a.m. at low speed.
On its arrival in Calvados, the animal will be installed in a seawater lock where it will stay for several days before being released, if its condition allows it, in the open sea.
AFP/BENJAMIN LEGENDRE
