Free Bella: The fight to free the beluga whale from a South Korean shopping mall aquarium | CNN

Seoul, Korea
CNN
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A barren water tank made of concrete walls and artificial rocks on the lower floor of a large shopping mall in South Korea has been home to a female beluga whale for nearly a decade.

The whale was caught by a ship in Russian waters in 2013 when it was about two years old and sold to Seoul’s largest Lotte World Aquarium, which is run by one of South Korea’s richest and largest conglomerates.

Her name is Bella. Along with two male beluga whales, Bailey and Beru, and other polar animals such as penguins and seals, She is part of a popular Arctic attraction.

Inside a 24-foot-deep, 1,224-ton tank, the trio are often the subject of selfies and TikToks from tourists as they dive and spin in the glowing blue water. Whales sometimes playfully swim up to the observation deck to watch tourists, many of whom are young children tapping on the tank’s glass walls in hopes of attracting the whale’s attention.

American dolphin activist Helene O’Barry said greed fueled the trade.

O’Barry told CNN there’s a lot of money to be made by capturing these charismatic mammals and selling them to marine parks and aquariums.

The exploitation never stops until the viewer sees beneath the surface and asks themselves whether a few minutes of fun can justify such cruelty.

Bellew died in 2016 at the age of 5. Bailey died a few years later in 2019 at the age of 12. In the wild, the average lifespan of a beluga whale is between 35 and 50 years.

Their deaths sparked fierce criticism from animal rights activists in South Korea, prompting the company to take action. In 2019, Rakuten promised to release Bella.

But campaigners say there’s still no reason to celebrate: more than four years later, almost 2024, and Bella is still on display. JoYak-gol, co-founder of Korean marine life organization Hot Pink Dolphins, told CNN that Lotte says they are taking measures, but we actually don’t know.

The exhibition is still open and a release date has not yet been announced.

Joe said the whale continued to show signs of stereotypical stress behavior after its tank mate died. Video sent to CNN showed her spinning in small circles and floating listlessly near the surface.

Jo said she was constantly walking around the tank without much purpose. I believe it’s pressure.

A Rakuten spokesperson said in an email exchange with CNN in November that launch plans were still underway.

Back in May, a company spokesperson told CNN that the process was in its final stages.

A spokesman said that Lotte World Aquarium is continuing discussions and trying its best to create a suitable environment and time for Bella’s release. This timeline is currently being coordinated with the Ministry of Health and Welfare (South Korea) as a top priority.

The spokesperson added that Bella is in good health and is currently undergoing training to prepare for the new marine environment.

Asked why she was still on display, the spokesman said: “At this time, there is no other place for her to stay.”

CNN ( CNN ) reached out to Rakuten earlier this week for further comment but had not received a response as of press time.

Like big cats and ride-on elephants kept as pets, the practice of keeping dolphins and whales in captivity for tourist entertainment has become increasingly controversial in recent years, largely due to publicity campaigns and expert findings suggesting that keeping animals in captivity Not satisfied.

Despite some changes around the world, with companies and countries banning activities that involve riding or touching wild animals, there is no industry consensus on preserving wildlife such as whales.

In the wild, beluga whales are found in the Arctic Ocean and in the oceans and coasts around Canada, North America, Russia, and Greenland.

Experts say they are migratory animals, capable of swimming thousands of miles across ice floes and fjords and diving to depths of more than 3,000 feet.

They added that their average lifespan is between 35 and 50 years in the wild, but only half that in captivity.

Valeria Vergara, a renowned marine biologist who has been studying beluga populations in areas such as the Arctic Islands and Hudson Bay for more than two decades, believes that any beluga whale like A species as highly intelligent and socially complex as whales simply cannot be happy in captivity. Verguera told CNN they suffer in captivity because they have no free will and lack mental stimulation. They are also unable to perform many natural behaviors.

She added that one of the things that strikes you most when you observe them in the wild is their touch, sociality and sound.

They travel together in relatively large groups consisting of family members and companions, and swim in unison with each other.

We call them sea canaries because of their complex communication system, which includes whistles, chirps and calls, but they tend to be much quieter in captivity.

Activists believe there are around 300 beluga whales in captivity around the world.

The aquarium industry in East Asia is booming. Ocean theme parks and commercial aquariums are increasingly popular in countries such as China, Japan and South Korea, driven by huge profits from mass tourism.

US dolphin activist Ric O’Barry, a former animal trainer who rose to fame training bottlenose dolphins in the hit 1960s TV series Flipper, now leads a global campaign to raise awareness Awareness of dolphin hunting and the suffering of marine mammals in captivity. O’Barry told CNN that while his organization, the Rick O’Barry Dolphin Project, has made great progress in closing parks in the United States, Canada and European countries such as Finland and Sweden, more parks are being established in Asia.

The industry as a whole has never taken any responsibility for the copycat syndrome they created. Because of this, we are now seeing East Asian countries starting to build dolphinariums and marine parks and buying wild-caught whales and dolphins to fill their tanks, O’Barry said.

They look at places like SeaWorld and think: If they can do it, we can do it too, because they know there’s going to be an audience, people who aren’t asking critical questions about where these animals come from or how they’re captured.

It will take decades to stop it.

According to JoYak-gol of the Pink Dolphin Association, Bella is one of five captive beluga whales in South Korea. Qiao said the beluga whales were captured from the Arctic Ocean and then imported to South Korea. They are housed in small spaces, sometimes with dolphins whose body temperatures are completely different.

At the height of the epidemic in 2020, an ambitious plan was launched. After a pair of beluga whales named “Little Gray” and “Little White” spent several years in the Shanghai Aquarium, they were transferred to Iceland. A protected area.

It was a mammoth undertaking that took several years, involved months of practice and a team of experts, as well as equipment such as cranes, tugs and trucks, and incurred huge costs.

Supporters hope Bella gets the same treatment. But even with the best of intentions, releasing a captive whale, especially one captured at such a young age, is no easy task.

Vergara said the reality is that whales like Bella are unlikely to survive in the wild. The baby beluga learns everything from its mother. Bella does not have the skills and knowledge needed to survive. Will she know what to feed on or where to migrate? Will she be accepted into a pod? Can she communicate with other beluga whales (again)?

There were a lot of problems, but her best chance at life was in a shelter.

Rakuten officials insist the only place in the world where Bella can be released is at a refuge in Iceland.

The company declined to name the sanctuary or confirm whether it is the same facility that currently houses the pair of beluga whales from China.

In a statement to CNN in late November, the company said there were further delays.

A spokesman said: “We have recently received responses from operators in Iceland stating that due to environmental issues within their facilities they had no choice but to postpone the process. The spokesperson added that discussions with government agencies and marine experts were ongoing.

We are therefore discussing various alternatives, including (other) overseas asylums and domestic asylums, with experts on the discharge committee.

The operators of Norway’s upcoming reserve told CNN they have sent a formal invitation to Lotte World Aquarium to invite Bella to the vast 500-acre Arctic Gorge in Finnmark, Norway’s northernmost county. A protected area of ​​the bay, surrounded by islands.

NWR board member Andre Borell said the Norwegian Whale Refuge (NWR) has been actively engaging with Bella’s owners for the past two years and is willing to provide funding for her transfer. convenient. We are preparing to provide a sanctuary for her and possibly another captive beluga at Yeosu Aqua Planet Park in South Korea, a natural marine environment where they can roam freely, dive and thrive with other marine life.

Borrell and Regina Crosby, founder of the nonprofit conservation group OneWhale, outlined a lengthy action plan that includes securing financial grants to pay for the whales’ care in Norway. Crosby told CNN that Bella’s owners have been informed that they will have no ongoing financial burden once she is sent to Norway. We want to quickly eliminate any reason why Bella should not be removed from the tank.

She added: “While no commitments have been made by Bella or Ruby’s owners, we remain hopeful and committed to working with the South Korean authorities as quickly as possible on the next steps.”

CNN (CNN) has reached out to a Rakuten representative for an update on the Norwegian offer.

As the end of 2023 approaches, animal rights groups are renewing their calls for Bella’s release. It’s been almost five years. Jason Baker, senior vice president of PETA Asia, said Bella had suffered enough. Rakuten must stop stalling and making excuses because time is running out.

Beluga expert Vergara stressed the urgency. Vergara said Bella was suffering alone. There is no doubt that whales in captivity, especially solitary ones, suffer chronic stress that weakens their immune systems and ultimately shortens their lifespans.

Rakuten cannot continue to delay Bellas’ transfer. She still has a chance at a new life and must be freed.

American dolphin activist O’Barry told CNN that he and his team are ready to travel to South Korea to achieve this goal.

We fully support Bella’s transfer to an overseas sanctuary. O’Barry said she needed the company of other whales and to experience the ocean again.

Lotte can’t turn back time, but they have a chance to undo some damage by getting her out of that lifeless tank and into a shelter.