Two Beluga Whales Were Transported From Chinese Aquarium And Released Into The Ocean Off The Coast Of Iceland

Two, 12-year-old, Beluga whales have been successfully moved from an ocean park in China to an open water wildlife sanctuary in Iceland, prompting celebrations by animal welfare activists.

The two female whales, one called Little Grey and one called Little White, had been held at the Changfeng Ocean World aquarium in Shanghai, China, for the last 9 years, after being first captured in the Arctic waters off Russia aged around 2 or 3. Prior to being at the aquarium, they had been held in a Russian whale research centre.

While it looked as though the two whales may have been destined to spend the rest of their lives in captivity, the UK based Sea Life Trust stepped in to have the animals freed.

After a deal was made with the aquarium, a huge logistical operation was put into place to have the giant mammals move thousands of miles across the globe, first by lorry, then by cargo aircraft and then by a tugboat. No easy feat as both animals weigh around 1 tonne. The whole operation was overseen by vets, and the whales were kept in special slings throughout the journey.

Once in Iceland, the whales were given a clean bill of health, showing that they were not in any way harmed by the mammoth 6,000 mile journey. They will now soon be released from a holding bay-side care pool into the Klettsvik Bay in the Westman Islands off the south coast of Iceland.

UPDATE 🐳

We can now announce the fantastic news that Little White & Little Grey are safely in the bay! They will stay in the sea sanctuary care pools for a short amount of time to acclimatise until they are ready to move out into the wider bay. https://t.co/hLS60Kj0Xe

— Beluga Whale Sanctuary (@BelugaSanctuary) August 10, 2020

Their amazing trip was captured on video:

Beluga whales live in Arctic waters and are considered highly intelligent. While their numbers have fallen slightly, they are not considered an endangered species. Weighing up to 3,000 lbs, the animals can live up to 70 years.

One recent video, highlighting the animal's intelligence, was captured showing a wild Beluga playing fetch with a man on a boat: