Marine biologists have announced that they have moved a pair of Beluga whales from Kharkiv, Ukraine, where Russian military shelling occurs almost daily, to the eastern Spanish city of Valencia. The pair of Belugas arrived late on the 17th at the Oceanografic, a marine biology complex in Valencia, through a perilous long-distance international rescue operation.
On the 20th, media reports cited a statement from Oceanografic, that a 15-year-old male named Plombir and a 14-year-old female named Miranda were moved to Spain in a vulnerable health state. The Dolphinarium Nemo in Kharkiv, where these dolphins were housed, was only about half a mile away from a frequently shelled area, and the shockwaves caused serious stress to animals like Belugas, which have sensitive hearing.
First, they traveled by road from Kharkiv to Odesa port, a journey that takes 12 hours. The pair of Belugas whales endured the journey while confined in fragile large wooden crates. Afterward, veterinarians checked their health, and they traveled to the Moldovan border city of Chisinau. Then, they flew from Chisinau to Valencia, a 5-hour journey by plane. Experts believed that while such a journey was risky, the chances of survival would have been even slimmer if they remained in Kharkiv.
Daniel Garcia-Parraga, the operational manager of Oceanografic, said on the 19th that the Beluga whales were in much better condition than the veterinarians initially expected and were adapting well to their new home. Plombir was already eating, which is very unusual for sensitive Beluga whales. Miranda, however, has not started eating yet. Oceanografic is the largest aquarium in Europe and the only one where Belugas whales live.
Beluga whales, also known as white whales, are mammals characterized by their white coloration. They inhabit the Arctic and its surrounding cold seas. Males can reach lengths of up to 18 feet and weigh up to 1.6 tons.