Scientists Begin Medical Examination Of Orcas From 'Whale Jail' In Russia's Far East

Scientists have begun medical examination of orcas and belugas that have been caught illegally and are being held in the so-called whale prison in Srednyaya Bay in Russia's Far East, a spokesman for the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) told Sputnik on Wednesday

VLADIVOSTOK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2019) Scientists have begun medical examination of orcas and belugas that have been caught illegally and are being held in the so-called whale prison in Srednyaya Bay in Russia's Far East, a spokesman for the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) told Sputnik on Wednesday.

On March 12, scientists' concilium that is responsible for deciding on the animals' future fate met for the first time. The members of the expert group agreed to examine the health state of orcas and belugas on the ground. The expert medical reports are expected to determine the animals' future habitat.

"The scientific concilium has begun its work in Srednyaya Bay," the spokesman said.

The so-called killer whale jail in Russia's Srednyaya Bay made headlines last fall after Greenpeace reported that preparations for selling 13 orcas which are on the Red List of Threatened Species to China were underway, while 15 orcas had already been sold to China over the past five years.

A probe has been launched into the illegal fishing of aquatic animals and animal abuse. Russian President Vladimir Putin has tasked the Environment Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture with deciding the fate of the confined animals.