2023-10-29 13:52:00
The orca seen on Sunday morning off the Belgian coast was stranded on the beach of La Panne, said Kelle Moreau of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. The animal will not be able to survive.
Several witnesses pressed our orange Alert Us button to share information and images. Here are some photos of the witnesses and Sheila Hanciaux:
The first information regarding the presence of the orca came around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. At that time, the animal was on the border between Nieuwpoort and Oostduinkerke, but heading south towards France. Finally, she ran aground on the beach at La Panne resort.
The cetacean had also come dangerously close to the coast near Saint-Idesblad earlier in the day. “We tried to discourage her from going near the beach with a boat, but she was already unresponsive.“, adds Kelle Moreau. “The orca is currently on the beach and no longer gives any sign of life. There are no more options to save her anyway.“. The police established a perimeter to keep the hundred curious people at a safe distance. We do not yet know why the cetacean came so close to the coast before stranding itself there. The orca also appeared very thin, which may suggest that the animal was in poor health. An autopsy will be carried out.
Unpublished
The presence of an orca in the southern North Sea is exceptional. “We are not aware of any 100% sure sightings in Belgium, although some have been reported in recent years without any proof.“, specifies Kelle Moreau.
An orca had already washed up on a Belgian beach in 1850. In the Netherlands, a female orca also washed up in Cadzand, Zeeland, in October 2022.
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