Dear friends!
We’ve been heard! The questions that we had addressed to the annual televised Direct Line with Vladimir Putin reached the president. There were so many questions, that it was impossible to ignore the Wale Jail. Together we’re doing something very important, and every one of you makes an important contribution. Dear signers and supporters of this petition, I cannot thank you enough for you help and your active position!
On the 20th of June, when Vladimir Putin was taking the questions sent to him from across the country, the news broke that two orcas and six belugas were being released from the ‘whale jail’. They were to be transported from their captivity in Srednyaya Bay to where they had been captured.
But can we declare victory?
Let’s first see what was really happening that day.
The release operation that began early in the morning on the 20th of June was a complete surprise. The local media, NGOs and animal rights activists were not informed about it. Nobody was allowed to enter the territory of the ‘whale jail’ except for the journalists of the state TV channel Russia 1 who arrived there in the morning.
Besides, there were some conflicting media report. "This is a VNIRO [the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography] operation. Today, two orcas were taken away. Possibly, they will be brought to the sea mammals base in the village of Innokentyevka in the Khabarovsk region, from where they will be released to the Bay of Sakhalin. Their transportation to the base will take approximately two days," a source familiar with the release operation told TASS news agency.
But VNIRO press secretary Alexey Smorodov denied that the animals were to be loaded for transportation. “No, they are not being moved, they are all there. Scientists work here. Today we are discussing the details of the routes and dates. There is no transportation taking place today. This is a fake", - RIA Novosti reported that same day.
VL.ru was covering live as the release operation was unfolding:
"16:58: Animals are loaded on a stretcher, then lifted by crane and lowered into a truck. There are already three belugas in the truck.
"18:00: The sixth beluga has been loaded. Two trucks are ready for departure. There are two DPS [Traffic Patrol Service] cars near the base. Colleagues say that they also saw a lot of [DPS] crews near the village. It is possible that they will accompany the truck.
"18:16 “The Direct Line starts in 40 minutes, there is a possibility that the orcas will be moved now.
"19:54: The first orca has been loaded. They prepare a stretcher for the second one.”
"20:40: During the Direct Line, Vladimir Putin is shown how two orcas and six belugas are being moved from the ‘whale jail’ in Primorye.”
"20:58: “The orcas have been loaded - there are only two of them, one each in a truck. The cars still remain in the territory of the ‘whale jail’ and do not move. Orcas are screaming in the trucks."
Later it became known that the cars headed in the direction of Khabarovsk.
“It’s a curious coincidence, of course, or, in other words, the miraculous effect of the Direct Line,” said a Russia1 correspondent on the scene. According to her, the two orcas and six belugas were being taken to the Shantar Islands in the Khabarovsk region to be released where they had been captured. The journalist called the animal release operation a “world sensation”.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev said that the operation to transport all the remaining animals from the bay will take four months.
(!!!!!!!) He added that the government decided to ban catching whales for cultural and educational purposes, allowing catching only for scientific purposes. (!!!!!!!)
We are following the situation closely and trying to provide you the most objective information. Today, there are more questions about the fate of these animals, than answers. I cannot declare victory until we are absolutely sure that the animals are well.
We will continue our campaign.