June 27, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jean-Michel Cousteau\/Whale Sanctuary Project Team has issued the following statement about the transport and release of the first group of orcas and belugas into the Gulf of Sakhalin.
Serious questions are being raised about the care of the orcas and beluga whales who are being returned to the ocean from the \u201cwhale jail\u201d in Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although our team has not yet received full video and other documentation that will help our specialists assess the condition of the whales, video and photographs from people who were present during the release of the first group of two orcas and six belugas into the Gulf of Sakhalin increased our specialists\u2019 concerns about aspects of the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are, of course, still pleased that the Russian government made the decision to release the orcas and belugas into the Sea of Okhotsk. As Vice Premier Gordeev said during President Putin\u2019s \u201cDirect Line\u201d phone-in with the Russian people on June 18th, this was the \u201conly right decision.\u201d
However, it appears that the operation did not incorporate the most critical recommendations that the Jean-Michel Cousteau\/Whale Sanctuary Project Team had delivered to the Russian government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat appears to have been missing is the kind of detailed contingency planning that\u2019s key to a successful release,\u201d said Charles Vinick, Executive Director of the Whale Sanctuary Project. \u201cThe logistics in such a large-scale operation are highly complex, and one has to ask whether sufficient time is being provided to ensure the health and welfare of the animals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have other questions, too. These would include:
\u2022 What, if any, rehabilitation of the whales took place prior to transport?
\u2022 What plans were in place to mitigate stress on the animals from the six-day truck transport and
condition them for release back to the ocean?
\u2022 What steps were taken to release the orcas and the belugas at different times and in different
places, bearing in mind that these marine mammal-eating orcas are potential predators of
beluga whales?
\u2022 What surveys, if any, were conducted to make sure that the whales would be released when
members of their family and social groups would be nearby?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe lack of information and data makes it impossible for our international team of specialists to evaluate the severity of these concerns,\u201d Vinick said. \u201cA rehabilitation and release project of this scope and complexity needs experienced international and Russian specialists, along with independent observers, so that there is full transparency and so that the kind of questions now being raised can be answered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jean-Michel Cousteau\/Whale Sanctuary Project Team is ready to provide international expertise upon request from the Russian government.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n
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