PRISON FOR

WHALES

CRUELTY NEXT DOOR

The whales are being held in cages in the southeast part of Russia in Srednyaya Bay near the Sea of Japan port town of Nakhodka. Images of the "whale jail" first appeared last year.

Originally, 90 beluga whales and 12 orca whales were believed to be held at the facility.

The whales were discovered living in cruel conditions in anticipation of being sold to Chinese aquariums. Most of them have been held in captivity since summer 2018.

NON-CARELESS ACTIVISTS

According to a change.org petition to release the whales, this is the "largest number of sea creatures to ever be held in small temprary enclosures." The petition — which has received close to one million signatures

— calls on the Russian government to release the whales into their natural habitat as soon as possible. "The belugas need to be transferred to responsible people that will feed them, rehabilitate them and release them into their

AUTHORITIES ACTIONS

The whales made headlines in November 2018 after drone footage of the facility went viral. Shortly after, regional authorities opened

an investigation into the illegal capture of the animals. The animals are still being held in the small, crowded "whale jail" enclosures while authorities figure out how to safely release them. Russian officials have charged four companies, which appear to be affiliated, for violating fishing laws. The companies have previously faced fines for illegal capture and have a history of selling animals to amusement parks abroad.

"NO ONE OBJECTS TO RELEASING THE ORCAS, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO RELEASE THEM PROPERLY."

Ecology Minister Dmitry Kobylkin

ILLEGAL IMPRISONMENT

It is illegal to capture whales following a worldwide ban on commercial whale hunting in 1982. However, these whales were believed to be captured for sale to Chinese amusement parks, where they can sell for as much as $6 million. The United States stopped catching wild orcas in the 1970s following negative publicity, so China heavily relies on Russian exports to support its

INVESTIGATION

After months of public outrage, Russian authorities ordered the release of nearly 100 beluga and orca whales held captive in Russia Thursday, The Associated Press reports. Environmental activists have been trying to get the whales released for months, garnering the attention of the public, celebrities and President Vladimir Putin. Last week, Putin ordered authorities to investigate the case and

ON MARCH 21 SAKHALIN REGIONAL COURT CLAIMED THE CAPTURING OF WHALES AND ORCAS TO BE ILLEGAL.