Beluga whales Little Grey and Little White were captured off the coast of Russia in 2011 and they have finally been released back into the wild.
Klettsvik Bay, Iceland (19 August 2020) – After spending nearly nine-years in captivity at an aquarium in China, beluga whales “Little Grey” and “Little White” have been released into an Icelandic sanctuary.
Moved from a Russian research facility in 2011, the pair ended up at the Changfeng Ocean World aquarium in Shanghai. A year later, the aquarium was bought out and the new owners started the process of releasing the whales. Merlin Entertainments do not believe whales and dolphins should be kept in captivity.
There are cirrently over 300 beluga whales kept in captivity across the world. The Sea Life Trust has a larger natural environment, made up of 8-acres at Klettsvik Bay in Iceland.
In an interview with CNN via video call, Audrey Padgett, the Beluga Whale Sanctuary’s general manager spoke of the sad lives many of these beluga whales live in captivity. She said that Little Grey and Little White would serve as great case studies for all beluga that end up being released from captivity.
“Some belugas are in cramped and unsuitable conditions,”
“And if what we can learn here from Little White and Little Grey can help improve welfare for other animals … that’s really the point.”
The task of relocating the beluga whales was a big one. They had to have specially designed equipment and vets on hand throughout the entire trip from China to Iceland. This included thousands of fish for feeding and water to keep the whales moist and hydrated.
They arrived safely in Iceland thanks to a collanoration of scientists and veterinarians. They then had to face their very own quarantine, this was done over a few months and enabled them to adapt to the Icelandic waters. While the trip was a smooth one, the COVID-19 pandemic made it hard for specialists to get to Iceland to help care for the whales.
“We’re already in a pretty remote location here in Iceland. It affected our ability to get experts here to help us with the move. It affected our ability to get supplies and just the length of time it took to do things,”
“We also needed to protect our staff and put them into quarantine, because we need our people to take care of our animals.”
The whales are due to get their freedom any day now, where they will be able to swim the entire sanctuary.