Beluga Whale Sanctuary
Organised by SEA LIFE TrustOur world first sea-based sanctuary gives previously captive beluga whales a new life, where they can dive deep and explore in a more natural home.
Story
In June 2019, two formerly captive beluga whales, Little White and Little Grey, completed a truly ground-breaking journey that took them from a Shanghai aquarium to the SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary, where they would have a new, more natural home.
The SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary is the world’s first sanctuary of its kind for previously captive belugas. The sanctuary is a huge step towards a more positive future for these beautiful animals; we hope to lead the way and encourage the rehabilitation of more captive whales into natural environments, bringing an end to whale and dolphin entertainment shows in the future.
The first two residents of the sanctuary, Little White and Little Grey, made their epic 6,000 mile journey via air, land and sea to the sanctuary, located on Heimaey Island, just off the south coast of Iceland. The sanctuary will not only provide the belugas with significantly more space, they will be able to live more natural lives, diving deep and exploring their new surroundings in untreated natural seawater.
Our vision is that, alongside Little White and Little Grey, other belugas will benefit from the sanctuary. The sanctuary is set up to provide a safe and more natural home for life for the belugas that arrive there, however we will continually assess every beluga’s progress and potential for release back to the wild.
At the Beluga Whale Sanctuary, we also give health checks to thousands of rescued baby puffins, called pufflings, every year and release them safely home to the wild.
Your kind donation supports our work at the SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary and helps us to look after Little White and Little Grey, and the puffins in our care.