The cramped pens in Russia’s Srednyaya Bay that were used to hold dozens of beluga whales and orcas in 2018 have finally been completely dismantled to ensure marine mammals will not be held captive on the premises in the future.
The whales were all wild-caught in the Sea of Okhotsk, the majority destined to be sold to marine parks in China, but after international outrage and criticism from NGOs including Marine Connection, a battle commenced to free them from the horrific conditions they were being held in (aerial photos showed large sheets of ice in and around the overcrowded pens,) eventually between June-November 2019, the marine mammals were released back to the wild. The holding pens were supposed to be cleared in late 2020 but the structures remained, and although they contained no cetaceans, we very much welcome this latest news that at long last, the infamous ‘Whale Jail’ is completely gone and will never again hold wild whales.
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.
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