Beluga whale stranded in French river dead, authorities say

French authorities say a whale that has been stranded in the Seine for days has died.

In an attempt to save its life, it has been removed from the river in preparation for transfer to a saltwater basin in Normandy.

For unknown reasons, the dangerously skinny beluga had no digestive activity, conservation group Sea Shepherd said on Twitter, saying it was dragged out of the water for a veterinary examination after hours of preparation.

“As his condition worsened, the veterinarian decided to euthanize him.”

Veterinarian Ollivet Courtois said the mammal began to have difficulty breathing during the rescue operation.

The French Society of Sea Shepherd said earlier that the whale was male and had no infectious disease and that veterinarians would try to re-stimulate its digestion.

Conservationists have been trying to feed it the fish since Friday without success.

Photos show the white mammal lying on a large net used to fish it out of a river lock.

Transportation will be done by a refrigerated truck for a 100-mile trip.

Authorities plan to keep the whale in its makeshift saltwater home for two to three days for monitoring and treatment before hauling it out to sea.

Last week, the lost beluga whale was first seen in a French river far from its Arctic habitat.

It weighs about 1,700 pounds.

Authorities said the whales could not survive much longer in the freshwater habitat of the Seine, despite the risk of death due to the pressure on the animals.

They hoped it would survive after reacting to a cocktail of antibiotics and vitamins she had taken over the past few days and rubbing against the walls of her locks to remove plaque that had developed on her back.