The Last of the Whales Have Been Freed From Russia’s Notorious “Whale Jail”— But Where Are They Going?

After being discovered in 2018 by a couple of conservationists flying a drone off of Russia’s Far East coast, these whale enclosures went viral. Activists, celebrities and animal-lovers everywhere were outraged.

The whale enclosures, which were coined Russia’s notorious “whale jail”, have since been deemed illegal. Each and every whale has been released back into the wild. And the company in charge of these ridiculous whale enclosures suffered a 28.

1 million ruble fine—the equivalent to $432,000 in the U.S. But are these whales any safer than they were before, or is this terror bound to happen again?

‘Whale Jail’

Off the Far East coast of Russia lays Srednyaya Bay. It’s a facility owned by four Russian companies in charge of capturing and delivering marine animals to Russian aquariums.

These four companies have been suspected of criminal activity concerning the welfare of roughly 100 whales in what’s been coined as a “whale jail.”

An Surprising Find

In November of 2018, conservationists shared drone footage of what could only be described as whale enclosures. What they didn’t expect was the video to go viral. And they certainly didn’t expect to have an international uprising on their hands.

Activists Were Alarmed

Activists everywhere were outraged at what they could only assume was the inhumane treatment of whales in the enclosures. Activists weren’t the only ones upset.

Anyone scrolling around on social media who happened to find this video couldn’t help but to be outraged, too. Turns out, civilian anger is also what brought an end to SeaWorld’s live orca shows.

The Captors Would Be Held Accountable

There’s a good chance the companies in charge of the whale enclosures would have gotten away with capturing and holding wild marine animals like this if it weren’t for the information-age we live in.

Information from all over the globe is at our fingertips, which is a good thing for these whales.