Lamya Essemlali

Hopes of saving a malnourished beluga whale that has swum up the Seine river were receding on Aug. 7, as rescuers said they were in a race against the clock to find a solution.

The whale was first spotted on Aug. 2 in the river that runs through Paris to the English Channel. Since Aug. 5 it has been between two locks some 70 kilometers (44 miles) north of the French capital.

A beluga whale that swam up France's Seine river appears to be underweight and officials are worried about its health, regional authorities said.

The protected species, usually found in cold Arctic waters, had made its way up the waterway and reached a lock some 70 kilometres (44 miles) from Paris.