A group of prominent global citizens have signed a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin encouraging the government to rehabilitate and release 10 orcas and more than 80 beluga whales now kept in inadequate sea pens in the “Whale Jail” in Srednyaya Bay, near the east coast city of Nakhodka.
The letter is signed by Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Dr. Jane Goodall, Sir Richard Branson, business leaders Tom Gruber and David Shaw, actors including Pamela Anderson, Mark Ruffalo, and Holly Marie Combs, and musicians Jackson Browne and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. More than three-dozen international and Russian leaders, actors, filmmakers, supermodels, and artists have signed.
Mark J. Palmer, of the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute, stated: “We are very pleased at this tremendous outpouring of support for the orcas and beluga whales in Russia. We hope we and other groups can help the Russian government safely return these whales to their home waters.”
First, the group thanks the Russian government for steps taken to protect the whales. The group letter further encourages the Russian government to immediately make improvements to the existing holding facility, which has pens that are too small and poor water quality that is harming the health of the whales and to return the orcas and beluga whales to the ocean location where they were captured last summer.
The citizens request that the government work with Russian non-governmental organizations and international experts with experience in rehabilitating and releasing captive orcas and beluga whales back to the ocean.
The orcas and beluga whales were captured last summer for sale to aquariums in China, in violation of Russian laws that specify that captures should be for educational or scientific purposes, not export for millions of dollars to the growing Chinese captivity entertainment industry.
IMMP thanks these citizens as well as the many organizations and individuals working to free the Russian whales and return them to their home territories, to rejoin their families.
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President Vladimir Putin
Russian Federation
23, Ulitsa Ilyinka,
103132, Moscow, Russia
17 March, 2019
Dear President Putin,
We are writing to thank you and the Russian government for steps taken to protect 80+ beluga whales and 10 orcas now held in inadequate conditions in Srednyaya Bay, near the east coast city of Nakhodka.
We commend the action you have taken so far to block the export of these amazing beings to dolphinariums in other countries, as whales and dolphins do not cope well with captivity. We further commend you and your government for not approving new capture permits for 2019, and fully support the Russian initiative to implement a permanent ban on capture of Russian orcas and beluga whales. Such an action would prevent the horrible situation playing out in the Far East from happening ever again.
We would like to ask you to take several important steps for the welfare of the remaining whales in the sea pens. We cannot stress enough that the lives of these whales are in danger, and they need immediate help. Please consider expanding their current sea pens in size and/or building additional enclosures to reduce the number of animals per pen and introducing insulation and warming protocols to prevent ice from forming in the enclosures. These steps are critical for the whales’ survival.
We further ask you and the Russian government, in consultation with Russian scientists and Russian non-governmental organizations, to plan to return the orcas and beluga whales to the Sea of Okhotsk and their birth populations when feasible. There are many international scientists and experts as well who have extensive expertise in successfully rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing orcas to the wild, such as Keiko, Springer and many others. International experts will be happy to provide their help to Russian colleagues with rehabilitation and release of the orcas and belugas back into the wild.
This is an important moment for Russia on the world stage. The world is waiting for a happy ending in this tragic and unfortunate situation. Thank you again for all that you have done, and please take action to protect these magnificent Russian whales!
Sincerely,
Pamela Anderson
Actor
Yuliya Aug
Actor
Wendy Benchley
Co-Founder, Peter Benchley Ocean Awards
Member, WildAid Board of Directors
Sir Richard Branson
Founder and Chairman, Virgin Group
Member, Ocean Elders
Jackson Browne
Musician
Member, Ocean Elders
Tom Campbell
Cinematographer, Producer, Director
Susan Casey
Bestselling Author, Voices from the Ocean
Former Editor-in-Chief, O Magazine
Gregory Colbert
Artist, Creator of Ashes and Snow
Holly Marie Combs
Actor
Celine S. Cousteau
Filmmaker, Environmentalist
Jean-Michel Cousteau
Chairman and President, Ocean Futures Society
Member, Ocean Elders
Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Director, Blackfish
Beth Davidow
Cinematographer, Filmmaker, Author
Kristin Davis
Actor, Environmentalist
Saba Douglas-Hamilton
Television Presenter, Wildlife Conservationist
Sylvia Earle, PhD
National Geographic Explorer in Residence
Founder, Mission Blue
Member, Ocean Elders
Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE
Founder, Jane Goodall Institute
UN Messenger of Peace
Adrian Grenier
Actor, Director, Producer
Tom Gruber
Co-Founder of Siri Inc.
Member, Ocean Elders
Sati Kazanova
Singer
Graeme Kelleher
Former Chairman and CEO, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Member, Ocean Elders
Yuri Kolokolnikov
Actor
Doutzen Kroes
Supermodel, Actor, Environmentalist
Ilya Lagutenko
Musician, Mumiy Troll
Founder of VROX.org Festival
Kate Mara
Actor
Eli Martinez
International TV presenter, Environmentalist
Founder of Shark Diver Magazine
Rinal Mukhametov
Actor
Leilani Münter
Race Car Driver, Environmentalist
Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan
Member, Ocean Elders
Edward Norton Jr.
Actor
Hayden Panettiere
Actor
Prof. Bertrand Piccard
Chair, Solar Impulse Foundation
Member, Ocean Elders
Louie Psihoyos
Executive Director, Oceanic Preservation Society
Director, The Cove
Mark Ruffalo
Actor, Environmentalist
David Shaw
Manager, Black Point Group
Member, Ocean Elders
Robert Talbot
Film Maker, Photographer
Anne-Marie van Dijk
International Model
Natalia Vodianova
Supermodel, Elbi Founder
Captain Don Walsh, PhD
USN (Ret)
Member, Ocean Elders
Bob Weir
Musician
Member, Ocean Elders
Maisie Williams
Actor, Environmentalist
Ann Wilson
Musician, Heart
Nancy Wilson
Musician, Heart
Olga Zueva
Filmmaker
