Drone Footage Shows Whales Caged In Secret Underwater 'Jails'

It's a bit of an understatement. Humans decimated whale populations for centuries before mostly easing off. Still, countries like Japan still routinely practice commercial whaling. That's to say nothing for whales that are being illegally poached.

It may not feel as directly harmful as whaling, but the sheer mass of plastics that we continue to pollute the oceans with has negative effects for everything that lives in those oceans, whales included.

This story takes place in the Russian port city of Nakhodka. It's a bustling urban center on the Sea of Japan, and is far removed from the administrative center of Moscow.

Nakhodka Bay forms a safe shelter for ships, as well as a major seaport. According to recent stories though, this seaport has been used for something far more nefarious than regular shipping trade.

According to the UK charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), the photo above shows the nerve center of a complex that's imprisoning 11 orcas and up to 90 (!) beluga whales.

Even from a few hundred feet up, it's clear that some of these small enclosures have up to a dozen whales in them. These are wild whales that are used to having much more space.

According to WDC, a Russian newspaper has reported that it's the biggest number of marine mammals to be held in this way. Local prosecutors are reportedly investigating whether this is illegal or not.

It's hard to know for sure, but WDC speculates that they've been caught from the wild in order to be sold to Chinese aquariums. If this is indeed the case, it's totally illegal.

Just last month, the existence of a whaling operation in Nakhodka became big news after a change.org petition called attention to the cruelty. But at the time, there wasn't video of the whale pens.

Hollywood star and conservationist Leonardo DiCaprio led the charge, calling for something to be done about the whale jail. With his considerable online following, DiCaprio was able to accomplish this worthy goal.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin, when made aware of the situation, expressed his regret that it had been allowed to happen. At the time, it was announced that the whales would be freed.

It's clear that, even though the world's attention has been put on these whale jails, and even though authorities have pledged to do something, not enough is being done. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section.