Reykjavík Grapevine - 26.04.2019, Side 12

Two beluga whales are set to make a
journey from China to Klettsvík bay, in
Iceland’s Westman Islands. This month,
the archipelago will house the first open
sea beluga whale sanctuary in the world,
but some are wary about transporting
these whales from one
form of enclosure to
another.
Originally from
Russian waters, Little
Grey and Little White
are 12-year-old female
beluga whales, who
were taken into captivity at a young age
to perform at Shanghai’s Changfeng
Ocean World Zoo.
The pair’s retirement from zoological
entertainment is being orchestrated by
the Sea Life Trust, a British environ-
mental organization dedicated to the
protection of marine wildlife. the multi-
million pound project is being touted
as “one of the biggest developments
in captive whale and dolphin care and
protection in decades.”
After the whales’ journey was post-
poned from April 16 due to bad weather,
the belugas are finally set to make the
10,000 km, 30-hour journey from China
to Iceland, travelling via plane, ferry
and a specially outfitted truck before
arriving in the sanctuary off the coast
of Heimaey. Once there, scientists will
evaluate the mental and physical fitness
of Little Grey and Little White.
° “The belugas have individual person-
alities just like us,” Iker Wang, Head
Trainer at Chengfeng
Ocean World in Shang-
hai, said in a statement
to the press. “While
Little White is quite
cautious and quieter,
Little Grey is the oppo-
site. She is brave and
craves attention.”
Adaptation is key
The average life-span of a beluga whale is
40-60 years, and there are an estimated
200,000 belugas in the Arctic waters
around Greenland, North America and
Russia. Belugas are amongst the few
whale species that don’t have a dorsal fin
on their back, making it easier for them
to swim under sea ice.
“We are currently helping to prepare
the belugas for relocation,” Tim Wang,
Senior Curator at Changfeng Ocean
World in Shanghai, said in a state-
ment to the press. The initial prepara-
tions and training with Little Grey and
Little White started a year ago, and has
included teaching the belugas to hold
their breath underwater for longer,
increasing their diet to help build up
extra weight, and acclimatising them
with lower temperatures.
Klettsvík Bay was chosen because of
its rich marine
wildlife, and
f o r i t s c o l d
coastal waters
that resemble
the native sub-
Arctic habitat
of the belugas.
Getting accus-
t o m e d t o
colder waters
of a natural sea
environment is
one of the main
priorities for
these whales,
which are used
to the enclosed
pools in Shanghai.
Into the wild
A man-made tank is the only environ-
ment these whales have known since
their capture by Russian poachers. Their
comfort around humans is one of the
main reasons why they can’t be released
into the wild.
In 2002, the famous killer whale Keiko
was released into the wild after undergo-
ing a five-year training at Klettsvík bay.
A year later, the star of the film 'Free
Willy' died of pneumonia.
Once in the wild, Keiko gravitated
toward human sailors rather than other
whales, highlighting one of the many
risks of returning long-captive ceta-
ceans to the wild.
Criticism over ethics
Some activist groups in Iceland remain
critical of the creation of an indoor pool
near the sanctuary bay.
“We are grateful that the Sea Life
Trust offers to give better life condi-
tions to those two belugas than what
they had in their aquarium in China,”
Julie Lasserre, marine biologist and
vice president of Sea Shepherd Iceland
told Grapevine. The organization fears
that due to the Westman Islands’ windy
weather, the beluga whales might end
up spending a large amount of time in
indoor pools rather than the open bay.
“We are afraid that they are going from
a captive life to another captive life with
a lot of stress in between.”
Bringing the whales that have been
held in captivity could pose a threat to
the biological pollution to the flora and
fauna of Klettsvík Bay. That is why team
of researchers and staff will closely
monitor Little Grey and Little White in
quarantine once they arrive.
“This is an animal welfare project,”
explains Páll Marvin Jónsson, a marine
biologist involved in the project since
2016 and a former town councilman
of the Westman Islands. “We’ll only be
bringing something back to the nature.”
Páll understands that Iceland, one
of only three nations that allows legal
whaling, is in a questionable position to
host the whale
sanctuary. “We
h u m a n s a r e
contradictory in
everything we
do. But politics
aside, this sanc-
tuary is kind of
a s t a t e m e n t
in what we’re
headed to.”
T h e b e l u g a
sanctuary will
a l s o r u n a n
adjacent puffin
rescue center,
where puffin
chicks will be
monitored and researched. There will
also be a visitor and education centre,
where visitors will be able to go out to
the Klettsvík Bay on boat trips to see
the Little Grey and Little White. Sea
Life Trust assures that these small
boat tours will be carefully monitored,
and that visitors will not be allowed too
close.
Sea Life Trust, whose overarching
mission is to protect marine wildlife
and their habitats, does not discount
the possibility of adding more whales
to the Klettsvík bay.
“We see this as an opportunity to
work together,” Páll said. “We can do
a lot of animal welfare research in the
Westman Islands.”
Beluga Whales En Route
To Iceland
World’s first whale sanctuary is preparing to
welcome its first inhabitants from China
Words:
Aliya Uteuova
Main Photo:
Adobe stock
When asparagus reaches its ultimate form
“The belugas
have individual
personalities
just like us.”
12 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 06— 2019News
A fancy new home
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