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Whale Aid Russia

Posted November 17, 2019 in News by Michael Mountain

How 97 captive orcas and beluga whales were returned to their ocean home.

This is the story of the biggest whale rescue in history – of the Whale Sanctuary Project’s work 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. On November 10th 2019, the last group of whales were back where they belonged and the notorious “whale jail” was finally closed. Here is how it all unfolded:

Part One: The Whale Jail at Srednyaya Bay

  • In November, 2018, the Russian media becomes aware of a largely secret operation being conducted in a quiet area of the country's Far East coast, known as Srednyaya Bay, about 115 miles north of Vladivostok.
  • The compound includes a series of sea pens containing more than 100 orcas and beluga whales.
  • As winter closes in, workers have to keep breaking up the ice in the sea pens so the animals can come to the surface to breathe.
  • The beluga whales are beginning to show early signs of frostbite and possibly bacterial infections.
  • The whales, taken from their families in the Sea of Okhotsk during the summer, are being prepared for shipment to entertainment parks, primarily in China.
  • Several Russian animal protection groups and film makers have been following the capture of these young whales, and as the news begins to spread through the Russian media and then the international media, vigorous protests erupt at home and abroad.

In November 2018, the Russian media became aware of a largely secret operation being conducted in a quiet area of the country’s Far East coast, known as Srednyaya Bay, about 115 miles north of Vladivostok. The compound included a series of sea pens containing more than 100 orcas and beluga whales. The sea pens were already starting to freeze over and the beluga whales were beginning to show signs of frostbite.

As news of this “whale jail” began to spread through the Russian media and then the international media, vigorous protests erupted at home and abroad.

For more about the capture of young orcas from their families:
* Novaya Gazeta writes about the companies that capture the whales and how they profit; 
* Scuba Film Factory filmmakers go undercover to follow the kidnappers;
* Hakai Magazine writes about the growing market for these captive orcas and belugas.  

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Part Two: The World Reacts

  • As news of the whale jail spreads around the world, more than a million people add their names to a petition from Russian animal protection groups to return the whales to the ocean. (Click the photo to see the petition.)
  • Jane Goodall and Leonardo DiCaprio are among those who ask the Russian government to intervene on behalf of the whales. Click on picture to read the letter.
  • The Whale Sanctuary Project becomes directly involved in efforts to free the whales as Charles Vinick (Whale Sanctuary Project), Jean-Michel Cousteau (Ocean Futures Society), David Phillips (Earth Island Institute) and Roger Payne (Ocean Alliance) send a letter to President Putin. Click on picture to read the letter.
  • Marine mammal biologists from around the world join in asking President Putin to take immediate steps to relieve the suffering in the sea pens. Click on picture to read the letter.
  • Veterinarian and professor Tatyana Denisenko and Dmitry Lisitsyn, head of the Russian NGO Sakhalin Environment Watch, visit the whales and report that all the belugas appear to be in distress and that 15 of them were babies who had probably not even been weaned from their mothers’ milk when they were captured. Click on picture to read the post and see video from Pravda.

In January 2019, news of the whale jail was spreading rapidly around the world and major media were starting to tell the story. Free Russia Whales, a network of Russian animal protection groups, launched a petition that quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of signatures. Letters of protest poured into the Kremlin.

In January, Charles Vinick (Whale Sanctuary Project), Jean-Michel Cousteau (Ocean Futures Society), David Phillips (Earth Island Institute) and Roger Payne (Ocean Alliance) wrote a letter to President Putin, offering our collective assistance in assessing the condition of the whales with a view to helping return them to the ocean.

Over the next two months, we received informal indications that our assistance might be welcomed. In response, we began to organize an international team of experts who could take part in a visit to the whale jail in Srednyaya Bay on Russia’s Far East coast. And at the end of March, we received formal permission to visit Russia and were invited to Moscow to meet with the Minister of Natural Resources & Environment.

Also, see article by National Geographic, including interview with Jeff Foster, our Transport and Rehabilitation Coordinator. 

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Part Three: Whale Sanctuary Project Goes to Russia

  • First stop: the Russian Embassy in Washington DC, to pick up visas. Left to right: Jean-Michel Cousteau; Katie Foster and Jeff Foster, who will lead the assessment of the whales; videographer Harry Rabin; David Gordon, our policy adviser and official translator; and Charles Vinick, project leader and Executive Director of the Whale Sanctuary Project. (And yes, security at the embassy is tight!)
  • At the Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment, we meet privately with Minister Dmitri Kobylkin, and then with the Minister's team, to see how we can work together most effectively.
  • Minister Kobylkin also hosts a meeting with scientists, biologists and veterinarians, again to establish how we can all work together to reach the best outcome for the whales.
  • After the meetings, there’s a press conference. In the foreground with backs to the camera are Jean-Michel Cousteau, David Gordon and Charles Vinick. (The next slide is a video of the press conference, edited to remove most of the translations to and from Russian.)
  • After the press conference, members of the Whale Sanctuary Project team take a “selfie” in front of Russia’'s White House, the seat of the nation’s government and parliament and the office of the prime minister. Left to right: Jeff and Katie Foster, veterinarian Dr. Tatiana Denisenko, translator Russ Abdrakhmanov, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Charles Vinick, Harry Rabin, and David Gordon. (Click on image to see more about the press conference.)
  • Having completed our work in Moscow, the team heads out to Vladivostok on Russia's Far East coast (seven time zones from Moscow). We will be there at the invitation of the Governor of Primorsky Region, Oleg Kozhemyako. And after meeting with him, we’ll be visiting the whales at their sea pens 200 kilometers to the north.
  • Cousteau and Vinick meet Governor Oleg Kozhemyako at the Governor’s offices in Vladivostok.
  • The governor holds a formal meeting to lay out the basis of a proposed agreement between the Primorsky regional government and the Cousteau/Whale Sanctuary Project team to return the 97 orcas and beluga whales to the open ocean near where they were first captured.
  • At Srednyaya Bay, Governor Kozhemyako, Cousteau and Vinick sign an agreement that marks the essential first step toward the various parties collectively working out the details for each of the orcas and beluga whales who are being held captive. (Click on photo to see the full agreement.)
  • The agreementstates that “We have made the fundamental decision that our goal is to release the cetaceans back into their natural environment.” (Click on photo to see the full agreement.)
  • At the press conference that follows, the group is joined by Dr. Vyacheslav Bizikov (left, Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, which will supervise the transport-and-release program.

Our diplomatic team arrived in Moscow on Wednesday April 3rd for a meeting on Thursday with scientists and government officials, who wanted to hear our ideas as much as we wanted to understand their perspective on the capture of the whales and to have a joint discussion of how we should proceed. The governmental meetings were presided over by Minister of Natural Resources & Environment Dmitri Kobylkin and were followed by a joint press conference to announce that our team was working with the Russian government to determine what could be done for the whales. As a symbol of welcome, the Minister presented Jean-Michel Cousteau with a beautiful ammonite fossil.

Then it was on to Vladivostok, the capital of Primorsky Region, at the invitation of Governor Oleg Kozhemyako, who introduced us to his team and put them at our disposal to provide guidance and liaison during our visit to Srednyaya Bay.

The following day, Saturday, we drove up the coast to the port city of Nakhodka, close to Srednyaya Bay, where we sat down with Dr. Vyacheslav Bizikov, Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, to negotiate exactly what our team would be allowed to do in terms of working with the whales.

At the end of the day, the Governor invited Charles Vinick and Jean-Michel Cousteau to an overnight visit at his country retreat, where together they drafted an agreement to work together toward returning the whales to the ocean. Then, on Monday, back at Srednyaya Bay, and in the presence of the Russian press, all three signed a formal agreement stating that “our goal is to release the cetaceans back into their natural environment” and then held a press conference to announce this intention to the Russian people and the world.

Video slides in the slideshow by Harry Rabin.

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Part Four: At the Whale Jail

  • Inside the whale jail, the orcas are housed in pens that are shallower than the length of the animals themselves. And on the first day of the assessment, what is most obvious to the team is the extent to which they are starved of stimulation.
  • Although our formal agreement with the Governor provides for our spending time with the whales, the facility is still managed by the consortium of companies that captured them. Each morning, we have to negotiate with the captors as to what access we can have during the day.
  • The whales have all learned to accept dead fish from humans. But will they be able to re-adapt to life in the ocean, where they will need to hunt for seals and other marine mammals that are the staple diet of their native species? At this stage, we don't know.
  • As part of our assessment of the whales, Ingrid Visser, member of our Advisory Group and Founder of the New Zealand-based Orca Research Trust, maneuvers a GoPro camera under the water to capture video of the skin condition of one of the orcas.
  • This beluga has evidence of a cataract and possibly a bacterial infection related to frostbite.
  • By the end of the week, we have gathered much video and information about the health and behavior of the whales. This will all need to be carefully analyzed before we can report back to the Russian government, but we are reasonably confident that most or all of them are good candidates for rehabilitation and return to the ocean.

“It was truly disturbing to see 97 whales confined in such a small space,” said Jeff Foster, our rescue and rehabilitation expert, when the team was admitted to the whale jail.

We were there to assess, as best we could (given that our access was strictly limited by the captors), the health and behavior of the animals. Many of them were showing signs of frostbite and skin and eye infections. But these conditions were treatable, and our initial observations were that the whales were all in reasonable health and showed no physical signs of conditions that would preclude them from being returned to the ocean.

As for their psychological and behavioral condition, Jeff put it this way: “The bad side was that they were all  languishing in extreme boredom. They weren’t getting any enrichment, training or exercise. And the good side, on the other hand, was that they were all languishing in extreme boredom and not getting any enrichment, training or exercise.”

In other words, because of this general neglect, the whales had never bonded with humans, and the upside of this was that they would likely re-adjust more easily to being back in the ocean and would seek out companionship with their own kind rather than with humans. So, while this treatment made their life at the whale jail even more miserable, it might be something of a blessing in disguise.

Video slides in the slideshow by Harry Rabin. 

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Part Five: Our Report to the Russian Government

  • In our report to the Russian government, we conclude that all orcas and belugas at the whale jail can be rehabilitated and released. Click on the picture to see the report.
  • The Consilium of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography mirrors our assessment, announcing that “the whales should be released around the same location where they were captured.”

On our return from Russia, we reported to the Russian government that “the team has not identified any scientific reasons why any individual animals cannot be rehabilitated and released.” (Details of our report are in this post.)

A few days later, the Consilium of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) mirrored our assessment, announcing that “The general recommendation of the scientists now is that the whales should be released around the same location where they were captured.”

Over the following months, there was much internal government discussion, along with pressure from the four companies that had captured the whales in the first place and who were now hemorrhaging potential profits while continuing to have to care for the whales. 

At one point, a proposal was put forward to open the gates of the sea pens and simply release the whales into Srednyaya Bay. However, we made it clear that even if the government were not to accept our full suite of proposals, the option of releasing the whales into the bay should be rejected at all costs. They should, instead, be transported back to the region where they were captured in order to have the best chance of re-connecting with their families.

Video slides in the slideshow by Harry Rabin.

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Part Six: The First Whales Return to the Ocean

  • On June 20th, at his annual Direct-Line televised phone-in with the Russian people, President Putin announces that the first group of orcas and belugas have just begun their journey back to the ocean. Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev adds that the government also intends to clamp down on the capture of whales.
  • The first transport is a stressful six-day journey by truck, running into stormy weather over treacherous roads.
  • When the whales are released into the ocean, they are seen to be flailing around (as in the next video slide). This is likely from the stress to their muscles from the six days of immobility.
  • The next transports are considerably smoother. The weather is good and each transport is largely by boat before a final leg by truck.
  • The whales receive frequent massages to keep their muscles ready for release into the ocean.
  • In response to criticism that no independent observers have been present for the first two transports, the Federal Research Institute of Fisheries & Oceanography (VNIRO) invites Greenpeace to accompany the transports and document the releases.

On June 20th, the first eight whales – two orcas and six belugas – began an 1,100-mile, six-day journey to the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, the area from which they had been caught the previous year.

The releases did not all go perfectly, especially at first when the whales were clearly severely stressed by a storm-ridden journey. The Russian government had contracted with the same fishing companies who had captured the whales the previous year to transport the whales back to the waters from which they had been taken. And while there was certainly some logic to doing it this way, the government did not accept, or believed they could not execute, some of our recommendations for the releases. But by now (mid-June), time was pressing if the whales were to be released before another icy winter set in, so it was urgent to get the transport and release program underway.

Over the next two months, all 10 orcas and 12 of the belugas were transported back to the region from which they had been taken and were successfully returned to the ocean. 

Overall, this represented exceptional progress, and seeing these whales swimming exuberantly in the open sea for the first time in almost a year was truly heartwarming.

In the final video slide in this section, you can see and feel the joy of the whales as they head out into the open ocean – their home.

Video slides in the slideshow by VNIRO and Greenpeace Russia..

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Part Seven: The Whale Jail Is No More!

The last group of beluga whales from the “whale jail” in Russia have been returned to the ocean. The notorious sea pens that housed 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales who had been captured for sale to marine parks in China are now closed.

On November 10th, the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) reported that they carried out the release of 31 beluga whales into the Bay of Uspeniya Lazovsky in the Primorsky Krai district in accordance with the instructions of President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.

Here are three short videos from the Russian TV service Ruptly. The first two show the whales being transported in floating sea pens from the facility at Srednyaya Bay to one of the ships that would take them to the release area. The third video shows them being lowered into the Bay of Uspeniya Lazovsky, where they swim away.

The rescue and release of 97 captive whales is a remarkable and historic achievement in which many people played a key role, including:

  • The Russian activists who brought the plight of these whales to the world’s attention and maintained steady pressure for their release;
  • The expert members of the international team assembled by the Whale Sanctuary Project to assess the health of the whales in their sea pens and recommend protocols for their release;
  • The Russian scientists whose expertise was critically important to the releases;
  • Our Executive Director Charles Vinick, who steered our whole Whale Aid Russia operation, and Jean-Michel Cousteau, who opened doors to the highest levels of the government;
  • And the generous supporters of the Whale Sanctuary Project, without whom none of this would have been possible. Thank you so much.

Here are some photos of the transport and release, courtesy of the Russian institute VNIRO:

  • The beluga whales are transported via a floating sea pen from the whale jail to the vessel “Professor Kaganovsky.”
  • They arrive at the “Professor Kaganovsky,” which is anchored a short distance from the shore.
  • The whales are lifted from the floating sea pen to the ship . . .
  • . . . where they are placed . . .
  • . . . into individual transport pens.
  • Aboard the “Professor Kaganovsky" the whales travel to the Bay of Uspeniya Lazovsky . . .
  • . . . where they are lowered . . .
  • . . . one by one . . .
  • . . . into the ocean.
  • We wish them all a good new life in the ocean, where they belong.

 

Thank you

Today, because of the care and concern of people all over the world, these whales are now back home in the ocean, where they belong. 

Your continuing donations are critical to ensuring that more whales will not be captured in the future for sale to marine entertainment parks in China. Thank you for caring.

This post is but a brief summary of the Whale Aid Russia program. For more details go to any of the dozens of posts, which start here, and select an item from the right-hand navigation.

Left: Letter of Appreciation from the Ministry of the Environment & Natural Resources in Moscow. (Go here for pdf and translation.)

 

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

This is the story of the biggest whale rescue in history – of the Whale Sanctuary Project’s work 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.Read more

The Whale Jail Is No More!

The last group of beluga whales from the “whale jail” in Russia have been returned to the ocean. The notorious sea pens that housed 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales who had been captured for sale to marine parks in China are now closed.Read more

Statement on Russia’s Efforts to Release All Whales from “Whale Jail”

The Whale Sanctuary Project has issued the following statement regarding the continuing efforts to return to the ocean all the beluga whales still housed at the “whale jail” on Russia’s Far East coast.Read more

All 10 Orcas from the Whale Jail Have Now Been Returned to the Ocean

This week marked the completion of the return of the 10 orcas from the “whale jail” in Russia to the Sea of Okhotsk, from where they were captured last year. This is exceptional progress, and so many of you have made this possible through your participation and support of our Whale Aid Russia program.Read more

Third Group of Orcas Released from Whale Jail

Russian authorities have begun the transport and release of a third group of orcas from the “whale jail.” In response to criticism of the lack of transparency, the government has invited Greenpeace Russia to observe much of this third release. And Greenpeace has asked the Whale Sanctuary Project to provide recommendations on how to conduct its mission most effectively. Read more

Release of First Orcas and Belugas from “Whale Jail” Raises Growing 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. What appears to have been missing is the kind of detailed contingency planning that’s key to a successful release.Read more

Jean-Michel Cousteau and Whale Sanctuary Project Team on Returning Whales to Ocean

Russia has begun the process of returning the whales that were illegally captured last year back to the area where they were captured. Jean-Michel Cousteau and The Whale Sanctuary Project urge the Russian government to include international specialists and Russian observers.Read more

Russia Begins Transport of Whales for Return to the Ocean

Russia has begun the process of returning to ocean waters the 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales who were captured last year and have been living in what has become known as the “whale jail” in the country’s Far East. The government also announced a ban on capturing whales for use as entertainment.Read more

Russian Ministry Presses for Summer Release of Captive Whales

Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources & the Environment says plans are now moving ahead to return the captive orcas and beluga whales being held at the “whale jail” in Srednyaya Bay to the ocean.Read more

Whale Aid Russia Begins Stage Two

We have completed the first stage of our work on behalf of the 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales who were captured in Russian waters last July for sale to marine entertainment parks in China. And we have now moved to the next stage: How the rehabilitation and release of the whales will be implemented.Read more

Plan to Immediately Release Orcas in Srednyaya Bay Should Not Be Adopted

The Jean-Michel Cousteau / Whale Sanctuary Project team does not support the new plan, announced by Russian authorities on May 15th, for the 10 orcas being held at the “whale jail” in Russia to be released directly into the open ocean adjacent to their sea pens. The comprehensive rehabilitation and re-adaptation plan for the orcas and belugas offers the best chances for successful re-introduction to life in the wild.Read more

Recommendations for Release of Orcas and Belugas from Srednyaya Bay

The Russian government is currently assessing recommendations for rehab and release of the 97 orcas and beluga whales who were captured last year in Russian waters and are being held in sea pens in Srednyaya Bay. This press release highlights the observations and recommendations of the Jean-Michel Cousteau/Whale Sanctuary Project team.Read more

Russian Consilium Mirrors Assessment of Whale Sanctuary Team

Announcement from Russian institute VNIRO mirrors assessment of Whale Sanctuary Project team that all orcas and belugas in captivity at Srednyaya Bay can be rehabilitated and returned to ocean waters.Read more

Report on Orcas and Belugas Held in Srednyaya Bay

Executive summary of the report to the Russian Government regarding the 10 orcas and 87 belugas being held in sea pens in Srednyaya Bay. Prepared by the Jean-Michel Cousteau/Whale Sanctuary Project Team.Read more

Russian Governor Signs Agreement to Free Captive Whales

The Russian government 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.Read more

Whale Jail: From Global Outcry to International Cooperation

What began as a global outcry has evolved into a work of international cooperation. Yesterday, in Moscow, people of many nationalities gathered at the Ministry of Natural Resources to begin a long-term effort to return 97 illegally-captured orcas and beluga whales to the ocean.Read more

Whale Aid – Russia: News Release

The Whale Sanctuary Project issued the following news release this morning: WHALE AID – RUSSIA! Russia invites Whale Sanctuary Project to visit illegal “whale jail”... View ArticleRead more

Russia Invites Whale Sanctuary Project to Visit Whale Jail

The Russian government has invited the Whale Sanctuary Project to visit the illegal “whale jail” on Russia’s Far East coast, where 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales are confined in appalling conditions, and to help and advise the government on their future.Read more

Russia Issues Formal Invitation to Visit “Whale Jail”

The Whale Sanctuary Project has brought together a team of experts, led by oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau, to visit the notorious “whale jail" on Russia’s Far East coast and to advise the government on their health and how they can be returned to the open ocean.Read more

Expert Team Prepares to Visit Notorious “Whale Jail”

The Whale Sanctuary Project is organizing a team of experts from non-profits and other NGO’s to go to Srednyaya Bay in Primorsky Region on the Far East coast of Russia and assess the condition of the 10 orca and 87 beluga whales being held there in the notorious "whale jail."Read more

The Whale Jail in Srednyaya Bay

The Whale Sanctuary Project is organizing a team of experts to go to Russia and assess the condition of 10 orca and 87 beluga whales being held in small pens there. Here is some background.Read more

Jean-Michel Cousteau Pens a Letter to President Putin

The four signatories spearheaded the return of the orca Keiko to his home waters in the 1990s. They offer the Russian government and the Russian scientific community their expertise and help in restoring the orcas and beluga whales, now being held in sea pens in Srednyaya Bay, to their home pods.Read more

34 Marine Mammal Biologists Urge Release of Whales

Donate now to help the whales A group of prominent marine mammal scientists from around the world has written a letter to Russian President Vladimir... View ArticleRead more

Global Citizens Urge Release of “Whale Jail” Orcas & Belugas

A group of prominent global citizens signed a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin encouraging the government to release 10 orcas and 80+ beluga whales now kept in inadequate sea pens in the “Whale Jail” in Srednyaya Bay, near the east coast city of Nakhodka.Read more

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.

Letter of Appreciation from Ministry of Natural Resources & the Environment


 

 

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