The United Pars & Resorts team was honored to participate in a global effort to rescue two beluga whales from Kharkiv, Ukraine, due to escalating conflict and danger as an active warzone. The operation, which is one of the most complex marine mammal rescues ever attempted, was a collaboration between Oceanografic de Valencia, Georgia Aquarium, Ukraine’s NEMO Dolphinarium, SeaWorld and other experts from around the world.
Due to their size and specific needs, transporting belugas is a particularly complex logistical operation. The ongoing conflict has caused shortages in food, energy and medicine, reducing access to other necessities for animal care and the technical supplies necessary for such a sensitive rescue. Despite suboptimal conditions, the decision to move the beluga whales was critical to their survival.
Following a 12-hour drive and a chartered flight, the pair of belugas—a 15-year-old male named Plombir and a 14-year-old female named Miranda—are receiving specialized care from a team of medical, nutritional and behavioral experts from Oceanografic de Valencia, the largest aquarium in Europe and the only facility on the continent that houses belugas.
Watch Miranda and Plombir’s historic rescue here.