Marine Connection is thrilled to report that one of the orcas freed from the infamous whale jail, was spotted by a member of the crew whilst filming Frozen Planet II – currently airing on BBC One and iPlayer. Whale scientist Grigory Tsidulko comments in the footage (link below), how lovely it is to see a once captive orca released safely back into the natural environment where it belongs.
Zina, a Russian transient orca was just one of many orcas and dozens of beluga whales illegally captured in 2018 – their destiny was to spend their lives entertaining the public in captive facilities, mainly in China, where public display of captive cetaceans is a booming business in the country. After an intense global campaign demanding the whales being held in the sea pens be freed, eventually, over a period of five months the whales were released, not all back into their native habitat from which they were captured, the Sea of Okhotsk but the Sea of Japan.
Marine Connection raised our concerns over the decision of the release site at the time, and the majority of whales have never been sighted again therefore this latest news and footage is extremely welcome, as to have confirmation that one of the released orcas is thriving back in the wild is hugely encouraging. It’s not known if it’s a pod Zina knew previously or a pod that has simply accepted her to be part of their group. The ban on captures of orcas and beluga whales in Russian waters remains until at least 2023, however, Marine Connection continues to call for a permanent ban to be put in place, in order that dolphin and whale families in the wild will no longer be ripped apart and taken into captivity for public display.
