Good News: Beluga whales captive in Chinese aquarium released into Iceland Sea Sanctuary

Two beluga whales have safely arrived in their new sea sanctuary care area at Klettsvik Bay in Iceland after they were moved from Changfeng Ocean World aquarium at Shanghai last year to a land-based facility. According to Sea Life Trust, the moving of the whales named Little Grey and Little White, both 13-year-olds, was completed on August 8. The whales have been moved to the world's first open water sanctuary for belugas. This is the first time the whales have been in the sea since they were taken from a Russian whale research centre in 2011.

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"Little Grey and Little White are now in their bayside care pool and will need a short period of time to acclimatise to their new natural environment and all the outdoor elements before their final release into the wider sanctuary. The expert team and the independent vets were with Little Grey and Little White throughout the move and said they are healthy and are feeding after the short trip from their landside care facility back to the sea," Sea Life Trust said in a statement issued on its website on August 9.  “We’re absolutely delighted to be able to share the news that Little Grey and Little White are safely in their sea sanctuary care pools and are just one step away from being released into their wider open water home," Andy Bool, Head of Trust, said.

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300 more in captivity

The wider sanctuary in Klettsvik Bay in the Westman Islands off the south coast of Iceland is of 32,000-square-metre. The sanctuary, operated by charity the Sea Life Trust and which is the first of its kind, was built with the support of a generous donation from Merlin Entertainments, says their website. Meanwhile, there are over 300 beluga whales currently living in human captivity around the world, a number of them in unsuitable conditions, and forced to entertain people at various parks and aquarium, which is a matter of great concern for conservationists. 

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