The beluga whale died while being transported at sea, which he had previously departed from the Seine river in the north France where she was “locked up” for a week.

“Despite the unprecedented rescue operation, we are sad to report that the whale has died,” said authorities in the province of Kalvant, where the port of Weststream is located.

The unfortunate creature, which was removed from the river by a crane, was supposed to be transported there. After being examined by veterinarians, he was placed in a refrigerated truck for road transport over 100 miles.

Beluga came out of the water after long hours of preparation and effort. Bravo to the teams involved in overcoming this challenge, the first physicals will be announced soon. Le beluga va maintenant prendre la route vers Ouistreham. pic.twitter.com/Vc8aBMKf6r

— Sea Shepherd of France (@SeaShepherdFran) August 10, 2022

Unfortunately, during the trip, the fire department veterinarian had to euthanize the beluga as she was having trouble breathing.

The original plan was to move her to Wistrim, where she would be moored in seawater for a short time until she was good enough to be released to sea.

Conservationists warned that it was likely that the whale would not survive the transfer because it was sick and malnourished.

“She is terribly thin for a beluga whale, and in the medium term this is bad for her life expectancy,” a spokesman for the French local government said earlier.

Beluga whales usually live in arctic waters, so the warm waters of the Seine River were certainly not the right environment.

According to Reuters