Last Two Orcas From 'Whale Jail' Move Toward Sakhalin - Researchers

The last two orcas released from the so-called whale jail in Russia's Far East are moving toward Sakhalin, the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) announced on Thursday

VLADIVOSTOK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2019) The last two orcas released from the so-called whale jail in Russia's Far East are moving toward Sakhalin, the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) announced on Thursday.

This Tuesday, they were released from captivity into the wild.

"According to data from satellite tags placed on animals that were released into the Sea of Okhotsk on August 27, two Orcas, Kharya and Forest, moved 50 kilometers [31 miles] away from the release point and are moving toward Sakhalin," VNIRO's statement read.

In October 2018, the so-called whale jail made headlines after Greenpeace claimed that a group of endangered marine mammals, held there in captivity, were being prepared to be smuggled to China.

A probe was launched to look into potential illegal fishing of aquatic animals and animal abuse. The investigation found a group of more than 100 orca and beluga whales trapped in a sea enclosure in deplorable conditions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin tasked the relevant agencies to lead the case, and a local court eventually ruled that the sea mammals had been caught illegally. The companies responsible for the violation were reportedly fined a total of 150 million rubles ($2.4 million).