Last year, drone footage of a ‘whale jail’ off the southeast coast of Russia near the city of Nakhodka emerged on social media. The footage showed visuals of tiny underwater enclosures packed full of orca and beluga whales.
An article published by the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta revealed that over 100 whales were being held illegally in the enclosures. Read: Is Russia’s whale jail fact or fiction?
The whales were caught from the ocean illegally and held at the risk of the animals dying. This stood in direct violation of the international ban on commercial whale hunting which was implemented in 1986 by the International Whale Commission.
Capturing wild whales is only permitted for scientific and educational research under Russian Law. The animals were caught with the intention of being sold to China for entertainment purposes. Watch footage of the whale jail here.
Four companies were involved in the whale jail, namely Bely Kit, Afalina, Oceanarium DV, and Sochi Dolphinarium. According to Novaya Gazeta, these companies are responsible for shipping 13 orcas to China between 2013 and 2016.
After intense backlash and public outcry to free the animals, a spokesperson from the Russian government has announced that the whales will be released. There is no official date set yet.
National Geographic confirmed that a legal representative from Bely Kit had confirmed the plans ‘to deliver the animals to aquariums in Russia and abroad’ this year.
On 8 April 2019, the declaration to free the animals was signed by Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of Russia’s Primorsky region, where the whales are being held. Founder of the US nonprofit Ocean Futures Society, Jean-Michel Cousteau, and executive director of the Whale Sanctuary Project, Charles Vinick, co-signed the declaration.
Image source: Twitter @Rachael_Bale
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