Russia weather stalls whale rescue

2011-12-20 20:49

Moscow - More than 100 Beluga whales remain trapped between ice floes in the Chukotka region of Russia's Far East as bad weather hampers the rescue operation, the emergencies ministry said on Tuesday.

"The weather still prevents a vessel sent to the scene from approaching the zone where the Belugas are trapped," said a spokesperson of the ministry's Chukotka branch.

"We cannot say right now when the rescue operation could start," he added.

Officials said last week that more than 100 Beluga whales became trapped by ice floes 15km south of the village of Yanrakynnot on the Bering Sea.

The Beluga whale, a protected species in Russia, is one of a handful of wild animals whose cause has been championed by Russian Prime Minister and nature lover Vladimir Putin.

The transport ministry said bad weather was preventing a tugboat from accessing the area and it was currently on standby.

Local authorities have said the whales risked starving and that the advance of the ice was reducing the space in which they have to swim.

The whales, which grow up to 6m and weigh two tons, can stay submerged for 25 minutes before coming to the surface to breathe.

In Russia, they live in the freezing Arctic waters of the north of the Far East as well as in the White Sea and Barents Sea in the northwest.

Whales are often trapped in the Arctic ice but rarely in such large numbers.

- AFP