SEA LIFE Trust: Safeguarding Marine Life and Habitats, Part 3 of 3

On today’s show, we invite you to join us in enjoying the touching moment that the two belugas, Little Grey and Little White, return to their original home - the ocean. “And the great thing that happened, in moving Little White and Little Grey from China to Iceland, was that four of their carers in China actually committed to move with the whales, which is absolutely amazing.” Upon arrival to Iceland, the belugas were first placed in the sanctuary’s care pool to acclimatize for a short period of time before being moved out into the wider bay. Finally, on August 8, 2019, Little Grey and Little White were sent to a safe, natural home in Klettsvik Bay, Iceland.

It was the first time that they had swam in a natural environment after being captive for 10 years. The goals of the sanctuary are to provide a more natural life for the belugas in their care, advance beluga-related knowledge through research and education, and support the protection of belugas in the wild. Caring for Little White and Little Grey is the starting point, and hopefully will be a model for releasing hundreds of other captive whales. “Another important part of our project is actually the research we do alongside. And what we can learn from Little White and Little Grey as ambassadors for those other Beluga whales in captivity. There are hundreds of other Beluga whales in captivity at the moment.”

Lastly, Mr. Bool would like to thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her support of the SEA LIFE Trust’s Beluga Whale Sanctuary. “I can't thank the Supreme Master enough for the support that's been given to our Beluga Whale Sanctuary so far. And we can't hope to achieve what we want to with Little White and Little Grey, and with other Beluga whales, with those other 300-plus Beluga whales in captivity at the moment, without support from organizations, from individuals like Supreme Master and from others. So, thank you very much for the support so far. And we hope that we can continue to rely on support as we move forward.”