MOSCOW – Russia released two killer whales and six beluga whales back into the wild on Thursday, the first group of almost 100 whales whose capture in the Far East last year caused an international outcry.
The mammals, caught last summer in order to be sold to marine parks or aquariums in China, were released in their natural habitat in the Sea of Okhotsk, a Russian oceanography research institute said in a statement.
The plight of the captive whales, which were held in cramped conditions, captured the imagination of people around the world and prompted celebrities such as actor Leonardo DiCaprio to petition for their release. (Reuters)
