“She was on the side when we found her this morning at 11:48 a.m. and the blowhole she is breathing through was underwater.” The observation of Lamya Essemlali, the president of Sea Shepherd France, is without appeal. The body of the orca lost in the Seine was found Monday, May 30 in the morning by the NGO, after being seen by a Norwegian freighter going up the Seine. The Seine-Maritime prefecture organized a cetacean towing operation in the afternoon. The autopsy will be performed on Tuesday by a veterinarian and a biologist.
“It is unfortunately a tragic end which only confirms that the orca was in great pain”, reacts Sophie Poncet, specialist in marine mammals for the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB). After being sighted for the first time on May 16 at the mouth of the Seine, the cetacean had rapidly weakened, probably due to a skin disease and contact with the fresh water of the Seine. On Sunday May 29, the prefecture of Seine-Maritime announced his imminent euthanasia, after the failure of a rescue attempt on Saturday using sound stimuli.
The animal, which measures between four and five meters and weighs more than a ton, will undergo an external examination and then an autopsy on Tuesday. “Like any stranding of marine mammals, the carcass will be taken care of by the Pelagis observatory”, assures Sophie Poncet. The institute, coordinator of the National Strandings Network, is mandated by the State to intervene in this type of situation. A veterinarian and a biologist from the observatory, located in La Rochelle, were to arrive on site Monday evening.
Many gray areas
The body of the killer whale, a wild and protected species, will then be scrutinized by experts to identify all the anomalies it was carrying. Because at this stage, many gray areas concerning the death of this cetacean in the Seine. Where is she from ? Why has it progressed so far down the river? How could his health deteriorate so quickly? What was the concentration of chemical pollutants in his body? The autopsy will provide initial indications, before more in-depth analyzes in the coming weeks.
Operations could begin this Monday evening. “If necessary and if the blood has not already clotted, we will take a first blood sample this evening”, predicts Sarah Wund, the Pelagis veterinarian in charge of the autopsy. On Tuesday morning, an external visual examination will be conducted to identify lesions on the orca’s body. The autopsy will then examine all the organs of the animal. According to Sarah Wund, the operation could last six hours at least. “We asked to be equipped with knives and a backhoe loader to be able to return the animal”, relates Cécile Dars, biologist from Pélagis also in charge of the autopsy. Masks, gloves, goggles and gowns were also made available to the team to ensure their protection. “Of course, you have to be careful because there can be zoonotic pathogens [transmissibles à l’homme] »continues Cécile Dars.
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