Little Grey and Little White – two beluga whales – had spent years performing in captivity in a tourist attraction in Shanghai, China, when they were suddenly presented an opportunity for life in more natural surroundings. In 2019, they travelled all the way to their new home: a bay situated off the south coast of Iceland, and the first-of-its-kind sanctuary in the world.
Behind this project stands SEA LIFE Trust, a charity working globally to protect the world’s oceans, and now they have just recently received a three-year grant from the QATO Foundation.
“I’m pleased that the QATO Foundation is now a partner in this first-of-its-kind project, and that we can contribute to ensuring the welfare and needs of the beluga whales over the coming years. The sanctuary represents a major leap for captive cetaceans – reintroducing them to a more natural environment with a better opportunity to perform their natural behaviours,” says Signe Kirk Kristiansen, founder of the QATO Foundation.
The ambition is that the project will help to encourage the rehabilitation of more captive whales into natural environments in the future.
Photo: Sea Life Trust
Commenting on the financial support from the QATO Foundation, Audrey Padgett, General Manager of the SEA LIFE Trust Beluga Whale Sanctuary, says:
“The financial support from The QATO Foundation will help secure the long-term vision for our sanctuary. We want to make sure that Little White and Little Grey - as well as all future beluga whales who might join us - always thrive with their smooth transition into living a fulfilled life in the sanctuary bay.”
The first 2021 grant from the QATO Foundation will support the building of a new intermediate habitat within the sanctuary bay, which is an important step in the whales’ transition into the bay.
Photo: Sea Life Trust
Read more here: Grant from the QATO Foundation ensures the continued smooth transitioning for Little Grey and Little White (sealifetrust.org)
