Captive Beluga whales reach Iceland from China

Two beluga whales from a Shanghai aquarium arrived in Iceland on Wednesday to live out their days in a unique marine sanctuary that conservationists hope will become a model for rehoming some 3,000 of the creatures currently in captivity. Little White and Little Grey, two 12-year-old female belugas, left behind their previous lives entertaining visitors at the Changfeng Ocean World and were flown across the globe in specially tailored containers.

The whales, which each weigh about 900 kilogrammes (2,000 pounds) and measuring four metres (13 feet) will continue their epic journey by truck and ferry to the sanctuary at Klettsvik Bay at Heimaey, one of the Westman Islands off the south coast of Iceland. The conservation charity Sea Life Trust, which has been at the forefront of the project, said the bay is the world’s first open water beluga sanctuary and had been selected to “provide a more natural sub-Arctic environment and wilder habitat for these amazing whales to call home”.

“We have been working with Little White and Little Grey for the last 18 months to make sure that they will be prepared and ready for the long journey,” said Andy Bool, Head of Sea Life Trust. After years in captivity, the whales will still be cared for in their new netted-off Icelandic sea pen, which covers 32,000 square metres, and is 10 metres deep, because it is thought they would not survive on their own in the wild.

And they will still see tourists, with a visitor centre built at the site and plans for small groups to be able to approach the whales by boat. British-based Merlin Entertainments operates attractions including Legoland, The Tussauds Group and the Sea Life aquarium. It took over Changfeng Ocean World in 2012 and started looking for a new environment to house Little White and Little Grey.