Beluga whales Little Grey and Little White always seem to have a smile on their faces, especially now that they have been taken to a sanctuary in Iceland thanks to the British charity, Sea Life Trust.
The two whales have been freed from captivity in the Ocean World in Shanghai. While in China, they were trained to perform tricks at Ocean World, but they are surely feeling much happier now after a 6,000-mile journey to relocate them to the world's first open water sanctuary.
ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 19: One of five Beluga Whales swim in Cold Water Quest exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium on November 19, 2005, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Georgia Aquarium, the world's largest by gallons, 8 million-plus, and by the number of fish, 100,000 plus, opens to the public on November 23, 2005. Funding for the Georgia Aquarium was made possible by a 200 million dollar gift from Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus and his wife Billi through the Marcus Foundation. (Photo by Barry Williams/Getty Images)
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Beluga Whales Relocated in the World's First Open Water Sanctuary
Little Grey and Little White are now exploring Klettsvik Bay's area off the south coast of Iceland to familiarize themselves in the facility before they are officially released into the wider sanctuary.
"We're absolutely delighted to be able to share the news that Little Grey and Little White are safely in their sea sanctuary care pools and are just one step away from being released into their open water home," said Sea Life Trust's head, Andy Bool.
After the group's extensive planning and rehearsals, the first stage of releasing the whales back to the ocean went smoothly as they hoped and planned for.
More so, it is the first time for both female belugas to be back in the sea after they were taken from a Russian whale research center in 2011 and then transferred to China, where they performed tricks in the Ocean World.
Their journey to the sanctuary involved using specially-designed slings with custom-made foam matting as a cushion for the belugas' bodies, a lorry, a Boeing 747-400ERF cargo aircraft, and a harbor tugboat.
The UK firm, Merlin Entertainments who own Sea Life centers, acquired Changfeng Ocean World in China back in 2012 and had been searching for a new home for the two belugas. The final stage of the release will commence in the weeks to come.
The firm has made substantial donations to Sea Life trust to fund the relocation of the two belugas. According to Sea Life Trust, Little Grey is very playful and mischievous as she likes spitting water to her care team. While Little White is more reserved but also likes to play and bonds with her team.
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Beluga Whales
According to the World Wildlife Organization, beluga whales are extremely sociable mammals that live, hunt, and migrate together in pods. Their bulbous forehead or also known as a "melon" is capable of changing shape that allows them to make different facial expressions.
Beluga whales are also called "the canary of the sea" as they can produce a series of chirps, clicks, whistles, and squeals. These sounds convey important information to other beluga whales.
As the sea ice in the Arctic changes, many of them migrate to the south during fall and return in the spring to feed. Sometimes they are found near river mouths when they venture up in rivers. Their diet consists of various fish species, like salmon and herring, and shrimps, crabs, and mollusks.