FREE TO BE: Orca from Russia’s infamous ‘whale jail’ spotted thriving in the wild
Zina, an Orca whale captured in 2018, was destined to be shipped off to a marine park in China before animal rights activists launched an intense campaign demanding her release.
ROBYN WHITE: An orca that was freed from Russia’s infamous whale jail has been spotted thriving in the wild. The 8-year-old orca named Zina, was spotted by a filming crew of Frozen Planet II… Crews identified Zina from a tag attached to her large dorsal fin and determined she was one of many to be released from the “whale jail,” in Srednyaya Bay, Russia in 2019…
Zina was spotted swimming and hunting within a pod. It is not clear whether she has rejoined her own family, or been accepted into another… Orca are incredibly intelligent animals and form close bonds with each other. Pods work together to hunt and protect each other. It would not be the first time a pod has been witnessed welcoming another, unrelated whale into the pod…
The whale jail was notorious for keeping nearly 100 whales in cramped conditions for the purpose of selling them to marine parks, according to a report from The Moscow Times… Zina, a Russian transient whale captured in 2018, was destined to be shipped off to a marine park in China before animal rights activists launched an intense campaign demanding her release. After those efforts, Zina and nearly 100 others, including Beluga whales, were released…
The Orca Rescues Foundation said in a Facebook post… Zina is now “absolutely thriving” among wild orca. There has been much debate about whether captive orca are able to survive in the wild. As most of the orca captured were young and separated from their families when brought to the whale jail, some argue that they will not adapt to life in the wild.
“Zina’s ability to survive and prosper in the wild after her unfortunate run-in with the captivity industry, (which lasted a little over a year,) proves that these animals are capable of returning to their roots, and should remain in the only place they are truly meant to be: The Ocean,” the Orca Rescues Foundation said. SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEOS: