Russian authorities have decided to release nearly a hundred whales, which are detained in small basins in eastern Russia. That said Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Primorye region, according to the Russian news agency "Tass" on Monday. Animal rights activists call the plant a "whale prison".

Last year, images from the bay appeared for the first time near the Russian port city of Nakhodka, which lies on the coast of Japan. Then there was massive criticism. Several companies had caught the eleven orcas and 87 belugas and wanted to sell them to aquariums in China, among others. Eventually, Vladimir Putin intervened and demanded the release of the whales in late February.

Researchers are working on release plan

The decision to actually liberate the animals into the open sea coincides with the visit of the French oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau in Primorye. He is the son of the famous marine expert Jacques Cousteau. Researchers from Cousteau's team as well as Russian scientists would work out a plan as to when which marine mammals would be released, according to Kozhemyako, according to Tass.

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Caged Orcas and Belugas: In the Whale Hell

Kozhemyako also announced to set up a rehabilitation station for the whales. There, sick animals should be housed and treated in the most natural environment possible. The Kremlin has confirmed that the whales are kept under cruel conditions. But releasing the animals is not that easy.

Experts had already advised in early March, how it could go on with the animals. The director of the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Marine Research said that the whales would have to stay in the plant for three to four months due to their poor health. Only then is a transport possible. In addition, experts expressed concern that the marine mammals in the cold season release.

Editor's note: An earlier version of the article falsely referred to the Japanese port of Nakhodka. However, Nachodka is a Russian port city located on the Sea of ​​Japan. We corrected the mistake.