"A 7.5-Meter Tank Is Barely More Than a Shallow Dish...Risk of Depression"
Committee Cites "Practical Challenges Such as the Dangers of Long-Distance Transport"
As controversy over the release of Bella, the beluga (white whale) at Lotte World Aquarium, is flaring up again, Choi Jaecheon, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Animal Behavior at Ewha Womans University, assessed that "the beluga is simply waiting for the day it dies."
Yonhap News Agency reported this on the 14th, citing an expert opinion letter obtained from Professor Choi. Professor Choi served as the first President of the National Institute of Ecology and is regarded as South Korea's leading authority in ecology, having devoted more than 10 years to research on dolphin behavior.
In his opinion letter, Professor Choi stated, "Although Bella is demonstrating remarkable survival strength, by any common-sense standard I cannot shake the feeling that she is merely in a situation where she has been given a death date and is waiting for it."
He argued that belugas are intelligent enough to recognize that they are being confined, raising the possibility that they may experience depression. He pointed out that "keeping a species that can dive to a maximum depth of 700 to 800 meters in a tank with a depth of 7.5 meters is like placing a whale in water that is only slightly deeper than a shallow dish." Professor Choi also estimated that ultrasonic signals reflecting within the tank could cause pain similar to tinnitus in humans.
He added that the behavior of opening its mouth toward visitors may not be a sign of friendliness, but could instead be a self-protective or threatening behavior. While acknowledging the difficulties of release, Professor Choi urged that if transport to Iceland or Norway is not feasible, the option of sending Bella to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia should also be considered.
In contrast, the Release Technology Committee, an advisory body to the aquarium, is leaning toward a cautious stance. It is reported that three out of the four external members expressed the view at a meeting in November last year that release would be realistically difficult.
The committee judged that transport to Russia would be hard to pursue due to international conditions such as war and the need for local cooperation, and that sea sanctuaries in Iceland and Canada are also not very suitable given conditions such as climate and noise. Some members expressed the view that "maintaining the current situation may be safer, given concerns about the risk of death from shock that could occur during long-distance transport."
Civic group Hot Pink Dolphins is calling for Bella's prompt release, arguing that she is "exhibiting aggressive, threatening behavior caused by the stress of confinement." Lotte World announced a release policy in 2019, but has not finalized a specific transport destination. As the internally suggested deadline for release approaches, future discussions by the committee and the court's decision are expected to determine the outcome.
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