After entertaining tourists for 15 years, two Beluga whales – Little Grey and Little White – are going to be set free in a reserve in the seas of Iceland. They have been in an aquarium in China but are going to be moved into a more natural environment.
The two whales, both 12 years old, are being prepared for the cold Iceland water by being given a mixture of herring and capelin so that they will have more blubber to keep them warm. In addition, their tank’s water temperature is slowly being decreased. This transfer is hopefully a step towards stopping the whale and dolphin show business permanently.
The sanctuary will be over 32,000 square metres in the seas of Iceland and their long journey from China to Iceland will take more than 35 hours. They will travel over 6,000 miles.
“It is a difficult process to transport them, and it can be quite stressful for them,” said Cathy Williamson, WDC End Captivity Programme Lead. “Unfortunately the alternative is to leave them in their concrete tank in Shanghai, and that’s not good for their health and welfare either.”
Let’s hope this will end animal shows and improve animal welfare forever.