Skip to content
All articles
  • All articles
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Fundraising
  • Green Whale
  • Kids blogs
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
Pilot whale

How we need to support Faroese communities to end the whale and dolphin hunts

Hayley Flanagan Hayley is WDC's engagement officer, specializing in creating brilliant content for our website...
Hope the inflatable whale

Meet a whale called Hope

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Harbour porpoise. Image: Charlie Phillips/WDC

Speaking up for the little guys – WDC in action

Whales and dolphins face so many dangers. These intelligent beings are crucial for the wellbeing...
Humpback whale fluke in Alaska.

An unforgettable first encounter – observing the whales we work to protect

I have kept a dark secret since joining WDC back in June 2021. Despite my...

Snow White Whales

Moby Dick may be the most famous white whale, but belugas are the true snowy natives of the sea.  They don’t always have their strikingly bright skin shade, however.  Belugas are born dark blueish or brownish gray, and gradually lighten as they age, until they are the solid white that they’re famous for.  Even then, they keep some of the darker pigment around the very edges of their flukes and flippers.  Their bright white appearance is an adaptation that helps them blend in among the arctic ice, giving them a little extra protection from predators’ eyes. 

Baby belugas in captivity are still born with their dark coloring, but captive breeding attempts have been largely unsuccessful, and most babies don’t survive to develop their famous beluga coloring.  The dwindling captive population is the main impetus behind this effort to import wild belugas.  The Georgia Aquarium wants to import these wild belugas to maintain the captive population of belugas in the US; they’re taking 18 individuals away from the only life they’ve known – in the wild, wide ocean – and putting them in tanks, all in the name of genetic diversity.  Prior to this effort, there have been no attempts to import wild whales and dolphins into captivity for 20 years.  Taking these belugas out of the wild is not a conservation issue – 18 healthy individuals are being removed from their homes and family groups; some of the belugas were so young when they were taken, they may have still been nursing.  These belugas should never know captivity after experiencing normal life in the wild, and their babies shouldn’t be born in tanks, where they have a very low chance of survival.

For this week’s sponsor, we’re telling Microsoft, a company that strives to incorporate their environmental principles into their business relationships, that we don’t want these wild belugas to know life inside a tank.  Tell them: “Microsoft, you want to be a leader in environmental responsibility – putting wild whales in captivity is not responsible! Don’t support the Georgia Aquarium’s effort to import wild Russian belugas!

Thanks for helping belugas stay safe and free, and see you next week for your next beluga fun fact!