Reported on Radio-Canada’s website by journalist Ariane Perron-Langlois, the story of the live newborn beluga found beached was one of the top 10 most read articles in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region in 2016!

On June 30, 2016, a female beluga – barely a few hours old – was found stranded alive in Rivière-du-Loup. The team from the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) conducted a rescue attempt by releasing the newborn back into the water amongst a group of females and juveniles.

The outcome of this intervention remains unknown. The newborn has not been reported since it was returned to the water. Will researchers see it again next summer? Skin samples were taken from the young animal, which might allow researchers to track it and understand how its story unfolds.

News - 10/1/2017

Béatrice Riché

Béatrice Riché has served as editor for the GREMM in 2016. She holds an MSc in environmental science and has spent several years working abroad in the fields of resource conservation, species at risk and climate change. Back on the shores of the St. Lawrence, which she keeps watch over every day, Béatrice writes columns on whales, drawing inspiration from events taking place here and afar.

Recommended articles

Rice’s Whale: Newly Discovered and Already on the Brink of Extinction

Though only discovered in 2021, the Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei) is one of the most endangered whales in the world.…

|News 10/10/2024

Right Whale Hunting: A Historical Review

Are we witnessing the return of the right whale to its ancestral territory? For the past ten years plus, North…

|News 27/9/2024

Return of the Bhulan

Since time immemorial, a mysterious creature has been said to reside in the waters of one of the largest of…

|News 3/9/2024