The Whale Sanctuary Project and LotteWorld Aquarium have signed a joint Letter of Intent “to enter a dialogue concerning the relocation of the beluga whale known as Bella from LotteWorld Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea to the sanctuary that the Whale Sanctuary Project is creating in Port Hilford Bay (Indian Harbour), Nova Scotia, Canada.”
Bella is a 13-year-old female beluga currently living in LotteWorld Aquarium in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The aquarium is part of the enormous LotteWorld Mall, which includes a seven-star luxury hotel and a mega-shopping center.
Bella has been alone for the last five years. Originally, she shared her small tank with two other belugas. They had all been sent to LotteWorld Aquarium soon after their capture from Russian waters in 2013. But Bella’s tankmates, Bello and Belli, both died young: Bello at just 5 years old in 2016, and Belli at age 12 in 2019.
Bella is close to 20 feet long, and her tank is about 45×36 feet and 24 feet deep. All day, she experiences ambient loud music, along with people taking selfies and children banging on the glass window to get her attention.
Sensitive to the urgent need to improve Bella’s quality of life, in 2019 LotteWorld Aquarium pledged that it would release Bella. But the problem was, where would she go? Some argued for her to be returned to the ocean from where she was captured. Others responded that even though she was born in the ocean, Bella would have a hard time surviving as a solitary whale.
In February 2021, the Whale Sanctuary Project was introduced to Hyung-Ju Lee, the CEO of the Korean animal welfare organization AWARE, by one of our board members, Naomi Rose. AWARE conducts research programs and cooperative investigations to help create a society where the quality of life is guaranteed for animals of all kinds. In April 2022, with Hyung-Ju’s help, the Whale Sanctuary Project began direct discussions with LotteWorld Aquarium about the possibility of Bella coming to the sanctuary we’re establishing in Nova Scotia.
What Does a Letter of Intent Mean for Bella?
Photo of Bella by Hot Pink Dolphins.
For any captive whale to have a chance at life in sanctuary, the first step is a willingness on the part of their current owners to consider a collaborative effort with our organization. This Letter of Intent is that first critical step toward the possibility of a new life for Bella. The Letter of Intent is not yet a contractual agreement and does not confirm Bella’s retirement to the sanctuary in Nova Scotia, but it does demonstrate the desire LotteWorld Aquarium has to work with our team to secure a better future for Bella.
The Letter of Intent is the first critical step toward a new life for Bella.We are also aware of another beluga, known as Ruby, on display at Aqua Planet Yeosu on the south coast of the Korean peninsula. In December 2023, the government of South Korea announced that aquariums would be banned, effective immediately, from purchasing any new cetaceans for display. Ruby may also soon need a new home, and our team is interested in exploring a similar collaboration with Aqua Planet that might provide for Ruby’s future.
We still have critically important funds to raise to complete the first phase of sanctuary construction, and as we press ahead on a daily basis, your donations, large or small, regular or one-time, are the lifeblood of this work as we seek to give a new life to captive whales.
Thank you for your love and commitment to these magnificent animals.
In our next post in this Giving Tuesday series, we’ll write about the 30 still-surviving beluga whales at Marineland Canada. And after that, we’ll discuss how we can divide the 100-acre space of the sanctuary to include both orcas and beluga whales, should that opportunity present itself. Our organization is uniquely equipped to respond to whales in need and, taken with the urgency facing each individual whale, we must pursue every opportunity to help.