Yes, a high-profile gang of celebs, including Leo DiCaprio, just pressured Vladimir Putin to remove a bunch of adorable whales from whale jail.
It's okay if you need to read it again, because it sounds like something from a game of geopolitical Mad Libs. But it's actually happening, and it's honestly pretty cool.
Although things are slowly starting to change, easily trainable marine mammals like dolphins, killer whales and belugas are often the featured attraction at theme parks and zoos all around the world.
For starters, whales born in captivity often don't live as long as their wild-born brethren. Then there's the fact that they can cause [injuries or even death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamu_(SeaWorld_show) because they're wild animals.
In the Pacific port city of Nakhodka, numerous whales are held in tiny, cramped cells. The cells are meant to be temporary, but the whales tend to remain inside until they can be sold to an amusement park.
Confined in a small space and unable to go where they want to go, these whales are at the mercy of the weather. A change.org petition, started by a Russian, called attention to this.
According to the petition there were 11 orcas, five baby walruses and a whopping 90 beluga whales in total being held in these little enclosures. Something needed to be done for their sake.
Celebrities like Pamela Anderson are well known for their animal advocacy, and have been putting pressure on the Russian government to crack down on the illegal practice of capturing and selling wild whales.
Leonardo DiCaprio is a tireless environmental advocate who even has his own foundation dedicated to promoting environmental awareness. When he heard about the plight of the whales, he called attention to it.
With DiCaprio leveraging his sizable online audience, the heat was fully on the Russian government. While the "whale jails" are in the far east of Russia, far from the Kremlin, action was needed.
A couple of days after he tweeted about the Russian whales, he shared this tweet on a similar topic, which highlights the need for humans to be ethical about how we interact with our oceans.
The Russian federal security service, the FSB, say they're laying charges on the owners of the "whale jails". A spokesperson said Putin himself was concerned about the situation and wanted to free the whales.
It's not over yet, as freeing a hundred or so whales — not to mention working out who is responsible for their inhumane treatment — is a big logistical challenge.
Leonardo DiCaprio is just one man, so it's understandable that the Russian whales occupied a lot of his attention recently. But as one of his followers points out, there are other areas of concern in the world as well.
"We are doing everything we can," said Russia's ecology minister Dmitry Kobylkin. "No one objects to releasing the orcas, but the most important thing is to release them properly."
It's easy to roll your eyes at celebrity culture, but it's truly gratifying to see a celeb use their huge following to achieve something for the greater good. Share your thoughts in the comments!
