INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
The belugas are in cramped pens which are taking a toll on their health
International pressure is growing for the Russian government to release nearly 100 juvenile whales which have been kept in small
pens in the far east for seven months.French marine scientist Jean-Michel Cousteau and other experts are meeting government officials in
They plan to visit the so-called "whale jail" near Nakhodka on Saturday.There are 11 killer whales (orcas) and 87 belugas in pens at
Srednyaya Bay.A criminal investigation is under way.While they were in captivity last year, three belugas and one orca disappeared
Greenpeace Russia believes they died, as many of the whales are known to be in poor health.The environmental group raised the alarm about
the whales last October, and four Russian companies linked to the "whale jail" have been accused of violating fishing regulations and cruel
treatment of animals.The whales were caught last year in the Sea of Okhotsk
Greenpeace says the orcas and many of the belugas were probably destined to be sold to marine parks in China, where such tourist attractions
Individual orcas, often caught illegally, can fetch millions of dollars
Belugas are sold for tens of thousands of dollars.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
A keeper examines one of the
orcas at Srednyaya Bay
Who else is trying to save the whalesCelebrities are also campaigning to rescue them
Hollywood star and Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio has urged his social media followers to sign a petition - and so far 1.43m have done so
Pamela Anderson, the former model and Baywatch TV star, wrote to President Vladimir Putin, urging action to release the whales
She is active in the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).Image copyrightAFPImage caption
Jean-Michel Cousteau
is the latest high-profile figure to campaign for Russia's threatened whales
Mr Putin is well known for his interest in
wildlife conservation and is now involved in the row over the "whale jail", along with federal prosecutors and the FSB state security
service.Jean-Michel Cousteau is the first son of the late Jacques Cousteau, an explorer whose popular TV documentaries helped focus public
opinion on threatened ocean species.Image copyrightEPAImage caption
Greenpeace drew attention to the whales' plight with
this Moscow demonstration
On Tuesday Greenpeace staged a demonstration in central Moscow to draw attention to the whales'
plight.The US-based Animal Welfare Institute and other marine mammal experts have sent a letter to Mr Putin, saying urgent action is needed
to keep the whales healthy
They say the pens should be expanded and the water heated prior to releasing the whales to rejoin their birth populations
What condition are the whales inThere is great concern because some are showing signs of hypothermia
Aerial photos show big sheets of ice in and around the overcrowded pens.Image copyrightAFPImage caption
There is ice in
the pens and the whales are struggling to stay warm
In the wild, whales swim tens of kilometres every day - and that keeps
But in small pens they get cold.In January, Greenpeace Russia reported that some of the whales were showing skin lesions and flipper
Some of those injuries may have been caused by bumping into the sea ice.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
New
marine parks in China are buying belugas like this and other whales
Read more on related topics:What is the legal position
Russian law allows the capture of whales for scientific or educational purposes
But the suspicion is that these whales were destined to go to Chinese marine parks in illegal, multi-million-dollar sales, for public
In July Russia announced an investigation into the illegal sale of seven orcas to China.UK-based Whale and Dolphin Conservation reports that
15 orcas caught in Russian waters are now at Chinese marine parks
Several countries have banned the live capture of whales, as well as imports and exports, among them the US, Canada and Australia
Commercial whaling is highly restricted under the International Whaling Commission's 1986 moratorium
But in December Japan announced that it would resume commercial whale-hunting
The IWC reports that in 2017 Norway caught 432 minke whales in the North Atlantic and Iceland caught 17 minkes off its shores
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
The whale pens are at a remote site by the Sea of Japan
