After months of international outcry, nearly 100 whales held in cages in Russia’s far east are now to be released back into the wild. Images of 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales kept in cramped enclosures first appeared after they were caught last summer by firms which planned to sell them to marine parks or aquariums in China. The decision came after the whales’ plight angered animal activists and spurred a petition to release the mammals, which gathered almost 1.5 million online signatures urging Russian authorities to intervene. Together with a team of international scientists, Russian conservationists will work to map out the captive creatures’ best chances of survival, deciding “when and how to release them” and creating a rehabilitation center designed to facilitate the process. Eventually, the scientists hope to return the orcas and belugas to the region in which they were captured, enabling them to reunite with family members and better assimilate back into the community.
Russia to release nearly 100 captured whales back into the wild
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