CARGOLUX has successfully completed the transport of two female former captive whales, Little Grey and Little White, to Iceland following a 6,000-mile flight from China.
The SEA LIFE Trust confirmed that Little Grey and Little White arrived at Keflavik Airport after having successfully completed the first leg of their landmark journey.
The two belugas were transported in custom-made slings designed to their exact physical requirements and were then placed in tailored containers.
After a lorry trip from Changfeng Ocean World to Shanghai Pu Dong airport, the whales were loaded onto a specially branded Cargolux 747-400ERF aircraft.
Little Grey and Little White were monitored by their care teams to ensure they remained safe and comfortable throughout the 12-hour flight, reports London's Air Cargo News.
A Cargolux engineer and a team of global veterinary experts with experience in transporting marine mammals were also on board, to guarantee the whale's welfare, whilst ensuring flight safety requirements were upheld.
Head of SEA LIFE Trust, Andy Bool, said: 'We're absolutely delighted Little Grey and Little White have safely touched down in Iceland. This is a complex but inspiring project and we've been working with the whales for months helping to prepare them for travelling to their new home.'
The two twelve-year-old belugas were then loaded onto trucks again. Then, they took a ferry, and finally were driven the final stretch to the whale sanctuary.
The sheltered bay will be the world's first open water sanctuary for beluga whales in what is a ground-breaking global marine welfare project. The bay, which measures approximately 32,000 square metres with a depth of up to 10 metres, has been chosen to provide a more natural sub-Arctic environment and wilder habitat.
The belugas 'are both doing well after such a long and complicated journey and they have started to acclimatise and feed in their new care-pool,' the sanctuary said.
WORLD SHIPPING
The SEA LIFE Trust confirmed that Little Grey and Little White arrived at Keflavik Airport after having successfully completed the first leg of their landmark journey.
The two belugas were transported in custom-made slings designed to their exact physical requirements and were then placed in tailored containers.
After a lorry trip from Changfeng Ocean World to Shanghai Pu Dong airport, the whales were loaded onto a specially branded Cargolux 747-400ERF aircraft.
Little Grey and Little White were monitored by their care teams to ensure they remained safe and comfortable throughout the 12-hour flight, reports London's Air Cargo News.
A Cargolux engineer and a team of global veterinary experts with experience in transporting marine mammals were also on board, to guarantee the whale's welfare, whilst ensuring flight safety requirements were upheld.
Head of SEA LIFE Trust, Andy Bool, said: 'We're absolutely delighted Little Grey and Little White have safely touched down in Iceland. This is a complex but inspiring project and we've been working with the whales for months helping to prepare them for travelling to their new home.'
The two twelve-year-old belugas were then loaded onto trucks again. Then, they took a ferry, and finally were driven the final stretch to the whale sanctuary.
The sheltered bay will be the world's first open water sanctuary for beluga whales in what is a ground-breaking global marine welfare project. The bay, which measures approximately 32,000 square metres with a depth of up to 10 metres, has been chosen to provide a more natural sub-Arctic environment and wilder habitat.
The belugas 'are both doing well after such a long and complicated journey and they have started to acclimatise and feed in their new care-pool,' the sanctuary said.
WORLD SHIPPING