Russian marine biologists and oceanographers are transporting 11 belugas, survivors of the so-called whale jail, to the Sea of Okhotsk where they are set to be released, Press Secretary of the All-Russian Research Institute of Oceanography (VNIRO) Alexey Smorodov told Sputnik on Friday
VLADIVOSTOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2019) Russian marine biologists and oceanographers are transporting 11 belugas, survivors of the so-called whale jail, to the Sea of Okhotsk where they are set to be released, Press Secretary of the All-Russian Research Institute of Oceanography (VNIRO) Alexey Smorodov told Sputnik on Friday."11 belugas have already been loaded aboard VNIRO's research vessel, animals will be transported in transport baths specially installed on the ship. The journey will take 3-4 days, [after which] the belugas will be released in the Sakhalin Gulf region," he said.
Smorodov told Sputnik that doctors evaluated the conditions of each beluga and properly documented their health status before green-lighting their transportation and reintroduction to the open sea.
Belugas are social animals that form complex groups in the wild, which is why the scientists picked belugas that had already become friendly and close-knit to be release together, Smorodov explained.
The belugas were part of a group of over 100 marine mammals that were illegally caught last year in Russia's Far East with the prospect of being sold to China. The 90 belugas and 13 endangered orcas became the center of a public outcry after Greenpeace published a report about the state of their captivity.
The situation moved Russian President Vladimir Putin to order the return of the animals back to their natural habitat, and an investigation found violations committed by Russia's Federal Agency for Fisheries and the group of companies that caught the animals. It is believed they were planning to sell the animals to Chinese ocean theme parks.
Their return to the sea has been a slow and careful process since veterinarians and marine biologists fear that their immune systems have been compromised by their lengthy captivity. Each beluga or orca requires preparation before being set free.
