Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, confirmed at a government meeting earlier this week that the country will move forward to introduce new legislation banning the wild capture of various marine mammal species including dolphins and whales for entertainment and educational purposes.
The Prime Minister said he now hoped that this would make his intentions very clear with regards to the ongoing welfare of dolphins and whales in Russian waters, and the government’s response to the ‘whale jail’ in 2019 where dozens of beluga whales and orcas were caught and kept in cramped pens in the Russian Far East, for sale to China. After causing global public outrage, the majority of the whales were eventually released back to the wild, some orca were seen re-joining wild pods but whether all released animals survived is not known. Some disappeared in the pens, reportedly three beluga whales and one orca, all presumed to have died whilst being held in such horrific conditions.
Margaux Dodds, Marine Connection’s captivity campaigns lead comments; “Although there is some way to go until this can be achieved, we do welcome this update. I have contacted the Prime Minister on this issue, and Marine Connection will continue calling for the permanent ban to be put in place, in order that dolphin and whale families in the wild will no longer be ripped apart for public display.”
