French authorities mull possible escape of beluga

Since Friday, the whale has been between two locks about 70 km north of the French capital.

Rescuers are considering last-ditch efforts to extract the animal from the Seine, because the warm water of the river is harming its health.

The locks would be opened in the hope that the beluga would swim towards the English Channel, authorities said.

Opening the locks would lead to the risk of the whale moving further upriver towards Paris, which would be even more disastrous.

In the past few days, several attempts to feed the whale have failed.

On Saturday, veterinarians administered vitamins and products to stimulate its appetite, said a statement by the police in Normandy's Eure department on Sunday.

Belugas are normally found only in cold Arctic waters, and while they migrate south in the autumn to feed as ice forms, they rarely venture so far.

An adult can reach 4 m in length.

The nearest beluga population is off the Svalbard archipelago, north of Norway, about 3,000 km from the Seine, according to France's Pelagis Observatory.