MOSCOW -- The Russian government admitted that they have held captive of almost 100 whales in the country's Eastern border. They have these whales locked for evaluation before they are sent to Chinese marine parks for custody. The government of Russia intends to ensure that the whales are in good condition before they are freed from being locked up.
The "whale jail" is the terms used to refer to this facility in the far eastern side of the Russian border. The watery pens were built in Srednyaya Bay located near the Vladivostok. Each whale could cause millions of dollars depending on the species they belong in. The whales that have been locked in whale jail were all caught off the Sakhalin Island between the months of summer and fall. The whales were all caught and put into lockup by four companies which are all linked to one businessman.
Dmitri Kobylkin, minister of Natural Resources of the Russian Government, said that they too were surprised with the great number of whales that greeted them. In the last few years, whales that were captured and released only come by minimal number. This by far is the bigger group that they've ever had.
"There is nothing of this kind that ever happened to the world before," Mr. Kobylkin said during an interview with the local station. He also added that scientists recommend that the whales be released during the summer months as the likelihood of them surviving is higher.
"Our priority is to keep the mammals healthy and safe," he said.
The Russian government is also it's doing its fair share of ensuring that the whales are in good shape. They invited experts like Jean-Michel Costeau and Charles Vinick, both head the Ocean Futures Society and Whale Sanctuary Project respectively. They came to visit the whales and to ensure that there are perfectly healthy and will be ready for release in the wild soon. Both experts also sat down with the government officials to talk about the health and living condition of the whales and the release plan. However, there are several disagreements as to the plan because a number of suggestions seem to all be a good fit.
"Each animal is unique on its own that's why they have to be considered individually," said Mr. Vinick. "Their ability to survive in the wild should be the number one priority. They have been in captive for so long it might be difficult for them to survive on their own in the wild."
Several aspects need to be considered before these whales are to be released. Their ability to exist in the wild with all the other sea creatures should also be considered their dependence on being fed may cause them to have difficulty finding food for themselves. In the process, they might lose a life just because they don't know how things are done out there.
Keeping them in captivity for a long time should have been thought of to begin with. Their survival is the ultimate test of whether the project did them well or whether it made them dependent on humans that they won't survive if they were left out there.
