Nearly 1 million people have signed a petition demanding that 100+ whales be freed from confinement on Russia’s Pacific Coast and officials in the country have listened. As reported by the Associated Press, the four companies responsible for holding the whales in tiny enclosures have been charged and ordered to release the mammals from their watery prison.
The companies behind the capture of the belugas and orcas are affiliated with one another and they are known for catching whales and selling them off to Chinese amusement parks for large sums of money. The demand to release the whales follows an investigation which was ordered by President Vladimir Putin.
As reported by CBS News, the whales have been held in the small enclosures since the summer of 2018 – images of the captive whales have sparked outrage, as well as the attention of celebrities, including Leonard DiCaprio.
The petition demanding for the whales’ release states:
These Orca’s need to be released into their natural habitat. The belugas need to be transferred to responsible people that will feed them, rehabilitate them and release them into their natural habitat when they are ready.
Officials want the whales to be returned to their natural habitat, but it is unclear when that will happen. Ecology Minister Dmitry Kobylkin explained to the TASS Russian news agency:
“We are doing everything we can. No one objects to releasing the orcas, but the most important thing is to release them properly.”
Read more about this situation at this link to the Change.org petition.
(Images via screenshot from CBS News/YURI SMITYUK)
Yesterday: Man arrested – accused of stabbing service dog over 100 times. More at this link.
More: Boat captain who dragged shark sentenced to just 10 days in jail. The story here.
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Clever!
I have an idea everyone involved in capturing the whales and putting them in this brutal position, do the same thing to them the p o s.
Another example of the power of petitions and PRAYER!
Yippee! Heray!! It’s about time these fishes are released!! But yes, please do it properly!!