The Whale Sanctuary Project issued the following news release this morning:
WHALE AID – RUSSIA!
Russia invites Whale Sanctuary Project to visit illegal “whale jail” where 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales are confined in appalling conditions.
Visit to be led by Jean-Michel Cousteau.
April 4th, 2019
A team of experts, brought together by the Whale Sanctuary Project and led by explorer and environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau, has arrived in Moscow for a meeting at Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment to help and advise the government on how 97 illegally captured orcas and beluga whales can be rehabilitated and returned to the ocean.
The invitation comes in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin having tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with determining the future of the whales.
The team’s mission will be to assess the condition of the 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales who are being held in sea pens, commonly referred to by Russian media as a “whale jail,” and to advise the Russian government on their health and how best they can be returned to the open ocean.
The Russian government has stated that the whales were captured illegally last year by a consortium of four companies whose apparent intention was to sell them to marine entertainment parks in China.
They have been languishing in icy water throughout the bitterly cold Russian winter. At least three of the original whales are no longer in the pens and are assumed to have died, and others have serious skin wounds and appear to be suffering from the cold and loss of energy.
The Whale Sanctuary Project team is led by Executive Director Charles Vinick, who managed the reintroduction of the orca Keiko to his home waters off the coast of Iceland in the 1990s.
“We look forward to providing our experience, expertise and assistance for the welfare of these orcas and beluga whales,” Vinick said.
The team will meet with government officials and scientists on April 4th at the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment in Moscow. After the meeting, there will be a joint press conference at the Ministry, and the team will then travel to Srednyaya Bay, where the whales are being held, to be there from April 6th to April 11th.
Russian law allows for whales to be held for scientific and educational purposes, but the whales in Srednyaya Bay were apparently destined for neighboring China, where there are already at least 76 dolphinariums and marine parks, and at least 25 more planned for construction over the next few years.
While public opinion in most countries is no longer in favor of keeping whales and dolphins captive in concrete tanks as a form of entertainment, marine display shows are multiplying in Asia. Approximately 954 cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), of at least 12 species, are currently on display in China. Most of them were captured from the wild and imported, primarily from Japan and Russia.
The primary mission of the Whale Sanctuary Project is to establish a model seaside sanctuary where whales and dolphins can be rehabilitated or can live permanently in an environment that maximizes well-being and autonomy and is as close as possible to their natural habitat. It is the first organization focused on creating seaside sanctuaries in North America for orcas and beluga whales who are being retired from entertainment facilities or have been rescued from the ocean and need rehabilitation or permanent care.
Members of the Whale Sanctuary Project team are among the leading experts in rescue, rehabilitation and transport of whales and dolphins.
Media Contact:
Michael Mountain
The Whale Sanctuary Project
877-942-5399
michaelm@whalesanctuary.org
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