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Russian Governor Signs Agreement to Free Captive Whales

Posted April 10, 2019 in News by Michael Mountain

The governor of Russia’s Primorsky Region has affirmed that the 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales being held captive at the “whale jail” in Srednyaya Bay will be returned to the ocean.

On Monday, Governor Oleg Kozhemyako sat down in Vladivostok with Charles Vinick of the Whale Sanctuary Project and Jean-Michel Cousteau of Ocean Futures Society to sign a formal agreement. The text reads:

Photo by Harry Rabin.

“We have made the fundamental decision that our goal is to release the cetaceans back into their natural environment.

“Our goal is to release all of them. Scientists, including both Russian and international scientists from the Cousteau Team, will continue to evaluate the animals to determine when and how to release them.

“Until then, we will immediately begin work so that the cetaceans are held in conditions most like their natural environment.

“We also expect that a rehabilitation center will be created for those animals that are injured in wild nature and that need to be rehabilitated.”

“We are working in a unified team toward this goal.”

From left: Charles Vinick, Oleg Kozhemyako, Jean-Michel Cousteau at press conference in Vladivostok. (Photo by Harry Rabin.)

This agreement is the essential first step that opens the door to the various parties collectively working out the details for each of the individual orcas and beluga whales who are being held captive.

“A decision in principle has been taken to release all the animals into the wild,” the Governor told reporters.

The rehabilitation and release of these whales will take time. At an earlier press conference in Moscow at the Ministry of Natural Resources, Vinick and Cousteau emphasized that each of the animals will need individual treatment and that readapting some of the whales to their natural environment might take years.

“Each of the animals is an individual and has to be treated as an individual,” Vinick explained. “The challenge for rehabilitation and release is complex. And therefore, we need to work together to identify a strategy for rehabilitation and for reintroduction or release of as many of those animals, one by one, as is possible.”

Dr. Lori Marino, President of the Whale Sanctuary Project, explains each of that each of the whales has had to cope with the trauma of capture and confinement in their own individual way.

“They are just like us that way,” she says. “So, each and every one of them has to be evaluated individually to determine his or her mental and physical health and what they need.”

Some of the whales are so young, they were not even weaned when they were captured, and they may have never even had the experience of catching food on their own. Instead, during their time in captivity, they have been hand-fed dead fish.

“So, instead of having been brought up as part of a family that works together to catch food,” Dr. Marino says, “they will have to be taught by us to catch live fish on their own. And because they are kids, they still have a lot of learning ahead of them. We will have to act as substitute mothers and aunts and older siblings and teach the young whales what they would have normally been learning from their families.”

In order to accomplish this, Governor Kozhemyako announced that a special rehabilitation facility would be set up under the agreement, with conditions as close as possible to the whales’ natural environment.


Jean-Michel Cousteau (right) with Gov. Oleg Kozhemyako and Charles Vinick at one of the beluga sea pens at the “whale jail.”

After the signing ceremony, the team traveled to Srednyaya Bay, about 200 miles north of Vladivostok, to begin their initial assessment of the whales. After spending time at the sea pens, Cousteau commented that this is very much an international effort.

“The people taking care of these animals and members of our team who are representing many parts of our planet are working together,” he said, “to come up with solutions to see what we can do with the whales to release them [at once] or to take them into rehabilitation.”

Cousteau described the signing of the agreement as a very emotional moment for him. Much work lies ahead, he said. “But I have no doubt that we are going to succeed.”

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Whale Aid Russia

How the Whale Sanctuary Project worked with the Russian government and Russian animal protection groups to return to the ocean 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales who had been captured illegally for sale to marine entertainment parks in China.

Whale Aid Russia – the whole story
The story to date, told in words, photos and video, updated regularly.

Individual posts starting with most recent:

The Whale Jail Is No More
The last group of beluga whales have been returned to the ocean. The notorious sea pens that housed 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales are now closed.

All 10 Orcas from the Whale Jail Have Now Been Returned to the Ocean
This is exceptional progress, and while the releases have not all gone perfectly, the process overall has been successful.

Third Group of Orcas Released from Whale Jail
Transport of the third group of orcas from the “whale jail” back to the ocean has now begun.

Release of First Orcas and Belugas from Whale Jail Raises Concerns
Serious questions are being raised about the care of the orcas and beluga whales who are being returned to the ocean from the “whale jail” in Russia.

Jean-Michel Cousteau and Whale Sanctuary Project Team on Returning Whales to Ocean
A release of this scale – 10 orcas and 87 belugas – has never been done before. Words of encouragement … and caution.

Russia Begins Transport of Whales for Return to the Ocean
The government also announced a ban on capturing whales for use as entertainment.

Jean-Michel Cousteau Asks Putin to Make Final Decision
Requests that the President order the release of all orcas and belugas in the areas where they were captured.

Russian Ministry Presses for Summer Release of Captive Whales
Plans are now moving ahead to return the captive orcas and beluga whales to the ocean.

Whale Aid Russia Begins Stage Two
We have now moved to the next stage: How the rehabilitation and release of the whales will be implemented.

Plan to Immediately Release Orcas in Srednyaya Bay Should Not Be Adopted
Press release: We do not support a plan calling for release, within a month, of the 10 orcas into the ocean adjacent to their sea pens.

Recommendations for Release of Orcas and Belugas from Srednyaya Bay
Press release highlighting observations and recommendations from our Jean-Michel Cousteau/Whale Sanctuary Project team.

Russian Consilium Mirrors Assessment of Whale Sanctuary Team
“The general recommendation of the scientists now is that the whales should be released around the same location where they were captured.”

Our Report to the Russian Government
Executive summary of our assessment and recommendations.

From the Sea of Okhotsk
The story of two belugas who were captured in Russian waters and shipped to Marineland Canada.

Governor Signs Agreement to Free Captive Whales
Working together toward rehab and return to the ocean, rather than letting them be sold to entertainment facilities in China.

Russia Invites Whale Sanctuary Project to Visit Whale Jail
An overview of the orcas and beluga whales suffering in sea pens at the “whale jail.”

Video of Press Conference in Moscow:
Charles Vinick and Jean-Michel Cousteau describe some of what will be involved in rehab and return of the whales.

Russia Issues Formal Invitation to Visit Whale Jail
Our team of experts, led by Jean-Michel Cousteau, will be traveling to the notorious “whale jail” on April 3rd.

Expert Team Prepares to Visit Whale Jail
Whale Sanctuary Project assembles team to assess the orcas and belugas, and to advise the Russian government.

The Whale Jail in Srednyaya Bay
Background and history of the capture, and the condition of the whales today.

Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Letter to President Putin
These experts spearheaded the return of the orca Keiko to his home waters in the 1990s.

Letter from 34 Marine Mammal Biologists
A request for an international team of experts to evaluate and treat the whales.

Global Citizens Urge Return of the Whales
Letter from Queen Noor of Jordan, Jane Goodall, Pamela Anderson, and business leaders, actors and musicians.

 

 

Also on the Blog

  • Seaside Sanctuary Concept
  • Canada Bans Captivity of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
  • Orca Brains and Intelligence
  • “Whales Without Walls” – a short film
  • The Whale Jail Is No More!
  • Site Search Report

The Case Against Keeping Whales and Dolphins Captive

The tide is turning in the West but in Asia the marine entertainment park industry is booming. 

Special report >

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