The release operation was conducted according to the already worked out and well-established scenario. Scientists and trainers decided not to use the enclosure prepared in advance. “There could have been a risk of losing control of the animals if the killer whale had dived to the depth in the enclosure and there, for whatever reason, got confused or caught in the net. Therefore, we loaded all three animals together in the transport cage of the catamaran and released them all at the same time after having moved 700 meters away from the shore,” told Vyacheslav Bizikov, deputy director for science. Prior to release, experts took samples of blood and skin tissues for DNA analysis; the animals got satellite tags that track the location. Scientists, experts and members of the public present at all stages of transportation from Srednyaya Bay to the release of animals to the Sea of Okhotsk watched them moving right after release.
VNIRO Press Service
