Non-governmental organization The Whale Sanctuary Project welcomes the release of the last group of belugas from the "whale jail" in Russia's Far East, executive director Charles Vinick told Sputnik, describing the country's efforts to bring the animals back into the wild as an "example for the world."
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th November, 2019) Non-governmental organization The Whale Sanctuary Project welcomes the release of the last group of belugas from the "whale jail" in Russia's Far East, executive director Charles Vinick told Sputnik, describing the country's efforts to bring the animals back into the wild as an "example for the world."The operation to release hundreds of marine animals from the "whale jail," which began in summer, was completed on Sunday as environmental experts set the last belugas free in the Bay of Uspeniya in Russia's Far East.
"The release ... culminates a truly momentous achievement, the release of the orcas and belugas back to the ocean. Jean-Michel Cousteau and I, as well as our whole international team, commend the Russian government for fulfilling the commitment they made with us (and the public) to release these animals when we were invited to Russia in the Spring," Vinick said in a statement.
Vinick has been working for many years with world-famous French oceanographer and environmentalist Cousteau, who also facilitated the release of the mammals and traveled to Russia to this end.
"Russia has set an example for the world by releasing these orcas and belugas, enabling them to live their lives in the open ocean where they belong," Vinick pointed out.
He also stressed the importance of monitoring all the released orcas and belugas for the months ahead, expressing hope that it could be carried out "on a daily basis for at least the next 30 days and regularly thereafter."
In October 2018, the so-called whale jail in Srednyaya Bay in Russia's Primorsky Territory made headlines after Greenpeace claimed that a group of endangered whales, held there in captivity, were being prepared to be smuggled to China. A probe was opened into illegal fishing of aquatic animals and animal abuse. The investigation found a group of more than 100 orcas and beluga whales trapped in a sea enclosure in deplorable condition.
President Vladimir Putin ordered that the case be reviewed by the relevant state agencies. A local court ruled that the sea mammals had been caught illegally, and the companies responsible for the violation were reportedly fined a total of 150 million rubles ($2.4 million). In late September, Environment Minister Dmitry Kobylkin said that the ministry had no plans to legalize the capture of orcas and belugas in Russian waters in 2020.
The trapped orcas and belugas were steadily released in groups since June. They have been equipped with trackers that will enable scientists to trace their movement and collect data on their behavior in the wild.
