Two beluga (white whales) regain their freedom in about 10 years and smile happily.

On the 10th of the local time, foreign media such as CNN in the United States reported that the Belugas who lived in the aquarium in Shanghai, China, are about to return to the sea.


In 2011, the cubs'Little Gray' and'Little White' were moved from their hometown of Russia to the Shanghai'Changfeng Ocean World' aquarium. Since then, the Belugas have had to live in narrow tanks for over eight years. But last year, good news came. Merlin Entertainment, a British company that opposes confining marine life such as dolphins, decided to return Little Gray and Little White to the sea when it acquired the Changfeng Ocean World Aquarium.


Before being released into the sea, the Belugas first headed to the Beluga Sanctuary in Iceland. Sea Life Trust, a marine life protection organization that operates a shelter, began a major work in June last year to move two beluga, each weighing more than 1 ton, to Iceland, about 9,650 kilometers away from Shanghai. Special equipment was mobilized to fit the body structure of the Belugas, as well as a huge amount of water and ice to make the sensitive Belugas as comfortable as possible.

We arrived safely in Iceland with Beluga on the plane, but another challenge remained. A lot of professional manpower was required to safely move the Belugas to the shelter, which made it difficult for the group to work because of COVID-19.


However, the group has succeeded in releasing Belugas into shelters by providing protective equipment such as masks to employees and following the quarantine guidelines. Little Gray and Little White swim happily in their new home, and the staff embraced and cheered each other.

"It was difficult, but it was possible because of the love for animals," said Audrey Pazette, the general manager of Beluga Shelter in Iceland. "I had to contact personnel from overseas, so I took all staff to self-isolate after work." .


Two belugas, living in special facilities that help them adjust to sea life, are now known to be able to return to the sea at any time. "More than 300 Belugas are trapped in tanks around the world," Mr. Pagetette said. "The more Belugas live in the open sea, feeding on a variety of foods, and people will be able to better understand Beluga."

This is'News Pick'.

(Video composition: Shin Jung-eun, screen provided: Sea Life Trust, editor: Kim Hee-sun)