The film claims that China is now the biggest importer of marine mammals from Russia, where research facilities turned to such trade after the fall of the Soviet Union saw their funding pulled.īlackfish’s most seismic impact was in a country with an already strong animal rights scene, influencing opinions of killer whales in captivity to the point where enough people turned their backs on resorts with live shows that they were forced to react.īut in China and Russia, changing public perception is going to be a bigger struggle.
BELUGA WHALE KNEES FREE
Indeed, Born to Be Free highlights how numerous oceanariums have been springing up in Russia and, in particular, China, fueling a growing demand for captured dolphins, seals, orcas and belugas. public perception of captive animals in facilities such as SeaWorld, the focus is now on these international resorts. Petrosyan claims Georgia Aquarium is hoping to sell the 18 (the dead beluga is believed to have been replaced) to other international facilities - ones outside the remit of the U.S.’s NOAA - having already had discussions with some in Japan.Īnd with legislation clamping down on marine mammal importation into America and - thanks to Blackfish - the tide slowly turning on U.S. They put in a lot of money and of course they now expect this back.” “I would say there are no wishes to release them. “ is now looking for other buyers,” Petrosyan tells THR.
In the doc, director Gayane Petrosyan, together with freedivers and filmmakers Tatyana Beley and Yulia Petrik (who just happens to be a former free dive champion), managed to locate these 18, who were living in cramped pools in a secretive enclosure by the Black Sea as they waited for the results of an appeal by Georgia Aquarium.īy the time the three found the belugas, some of whom have been in captivity for up to six years, one had already died, while others were showing signs of severely ill health. regarding the import of sea mammals saw the NOAA fisheries agency deny the aquarium’s request for a permit, leaving the animals in administrative limbo land. Captured off the coast of Russia, the 18 were originally intended for the U.S., with the vast Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta due to receive at least two (others were bound for Shedd in Chicago, SeaWorld and Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut).
Estimates suggest there are just around 150,000 left living in the wild.īorn to Be Free, which had its world premiere at the recently concluded Sheffield Doc/Fest, focuses on the plight of 18 belugas. But given their unique appearance, intelligence and chirpy, chatty, almost humanoid behavior, a growing number have found themselves living in captivity in aquariums around the world and performing for crowds. Most live around the Arctic Ocean and the seas and coasts of Russia and Greenland. Described as “Arctic dolphins” or “sea canaries,” beluga whales are instantly striking creatures, almost ghostly white and with a distinctive swelling at the front of their heads.