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Third group of orcas from Srednyaya Bay to be followed to areas of release by Greenpeace

The poachers were going to sell the mammals to China but for the rescuers

© Yury Smityuk/TASS

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Srednyaya Bay orcas to be released by end of summer — ministry

VLADIVOSTOK, July 31. /TASS/. Activists from the international public organization Greenpeace plan to follow a group of three orcas that are staying in the Srednyaya Bay to places of their release in the Khabarovsk Region, representative for the Russian branch of the organization, Oganes Targulyan told TASS on Wednesday.

"We plan to follow them from the Srednyaya Bay the whole way to Khabarovsk and then to be present at the reloading onto a barge that will go along the Amur River. As we were told that there are no passenger seats on the vessel, we will reach Innokentyevka [village name] by land, meet the animals and follow them to Petrovsky Cape, where they will be released," the Greenpeace representative noted.

The press service of the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Fishery and Oceanography reported on Wednesday that two orca cows and one bull will be released as part of the third group.

"All the three orcas in the Srednyaya Bay lived in one enclosure and represent an established social group. Although they apparently do not belong to one family, stable command relations were established between them during their stay in the Srednyaya Bay and their leader was determined — a large cow. Scientists say that such composition of the group increases the chances for a successful return of the orcas to their natural habitat, the possible reunion with the family of wild orcas or the creation of their own family," the report says.

The orcas will be transported under the tried-out logistics scheme: the Srednyaya Bay - Khabarovsk - Nikolayevsk-on-Amur - the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk. At all the stages the animals will be followed by experienced coaches, veterinarians and science fellows. The way from the Srednyaya Bay to the Sea of Okhotsk will take five to six days.

The orcas and beluga whales

A total of 90 beluga whales and 11 orcas were caught to be later sold to China. Consequently three beluga whales and one orca got lost. According to investigators, the mammals were captured unlawfully, and a criminal case was opened into the illegal seizure of bioresources.

These animals have been gradually transported to the Shantar Islands since late June this year for release into the wild. The first group of mammals, consisting of two orcas and six beluga whales, was taken to the Shantar Islands area on June 20, and on June 27 they were released into the sea. The second group, consisting of three whales, was released on July 16.

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