Little White

Little White. Photo courtesy of The Beluga Whale Sanctuary.

Little White (pronounced LIT-ull WIET), also known as Litla Hvít and Xiǎo bái 小白, is an approximately 16-year-old female beluga whale and one of two resident beluga whales at the Sea Life TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. Little White arrived at the sanctuary with her companion, Little Grey, on June 19th, 2019, at approximately 11:45pm local time.

## Early Life

### Russia

Little White was born in Russian waters sometime in or around 2007. Like all beluga whales, Little White was born into a tight-knit social family group of wild beluga whales known as a pod. This pod likely included her mother, grandmother, siblings, cousins, and possibly nieces and nephews. In 2011, Little White was captured in the Sea of Okhotsk as a calf with another young beluga whale who was given the name Little Grey. The two whales were transferred to a Russian facility intended for research on human and whale relationships. Little is known about their time at the Russian facility, but sometime in 2011, the facility became financially unstable and Little White and Little Grey were sold to Changfeng Ocean World in Shanghai, China.

### Changfeng Ocean World

Upon arrival at Changfeng, Little White and Little Grey met another beluga whale named Jun Jun. The three whales became a part of the Beluga Whale theater at the park, performing daily shows for visitors. In 2014, the oceanarium was purchased by Merlin Entertainments, a British entertainment company and the owner of the worldwide Sea Life Aquarium chain. Merlin Entertainments, being strictly opposed to keeping cetaceans in captivity, began constructing a plan to retire Little White, Little Grey, and Jun Jun to a sea sanctuary. The process to find them a suitable new home began right away with Heimaey, the main island in the Vestmanneyjar archipelago off the coast of Iceland, being selected as a primary location for the sanctuary. After being given the official green-light from Iceland's Food and Veterinary Authority to import the belugas, the SEA LIFE Trust Beluga Whale Sanctuary was officially founded and immediately began construction on their new sanctuary facilities in 2017.

### Jun Jun's Death

Devastating news emerged from Changfeng Ocean World on June 17th, 2017. Jun Jun, who was to be moved to the Beluga Sanctuary with Little White and Little Grey, had passed away from a brain bleed at Changfeng. Her caretakers had been addressing underlying health conditions that Jun Jun had been battling for several years, which made her vulnerable. The passing of Jun Jun, however, did not affect Little White and Little Grey's move to the sanctuary and they continued their training as normal until 2019, when the sanctuary was officially ready to house beluga whales.

## The Journey

During the previous three years, Little White and her companion, Little Grey, had been undergoing acclimatization training to prepare them for the journey to Iceland. This included desensitizing them to laying in a sling for extended hours, putting on weight, and holding their breaths for longer periods at a time. The move itself involved many steps and covered almost 6,000 miles from Shanghai to Iceland. After months of preparation for the whales move to Iceland, a date was finally set. The belugas were scheduled to move on April 16th, 2019.

### April

On April 13th, 2019, everything was ready for the big move. The specially-made transport containers had arrived at Changfeng Ocean World ready for the whales, the Cargolux cargo plane which would fly the whales to Iceland had arrived in Shanghai, and the transport team was on site at the aquarium to prepare. However, a few days before the move was scheduled to happen, disappointing news emerged from Iceland. A severe storm had halted the ferry that would take the whales to Heimaey.

With everything already set in place, the transport team now tried to come up with alternative ways to bring the belugas to Iceland on time. Flying the plane directly to Heimaey was considered, but eventually it was decided that this was not an option as the runway would not be able to support the plane with the whales inside. An alternative suggestion would be to ferry the belugas over from Þorlákshöfn, which would mean the whales would have to stay on a ferry for three hours instead of thirty minutes. Eventually, after lengthy discussions on alternative ways to move them, it became clear that no alternative plan was suitable or safe enough to be executed and the move was cancelled. The belugas and their care team in Shanghai had no other choice but to come back another day.

### June

The belugas continued to receive daily desensitization training to keep up their acclimatization for the next few months. In May of 2019, a month after the move was scheduled to happen, another date was set for the belugas. June 19th, 2019.

June 19th arrived and so did the transport team. The first step was to place Little Grey and Little White into a sling which would place them inside of their transport containers. The team had to work quickly to ensure that the whales would not miss their flight. One by one, the whales were placed inside of their own respective slings with the help of their care team, who guided them and carefully pushed them into each sling. The care team made the decision to load Little White into her container first, as she was the dominant whale. They hoped that if Little Grey saw her companion being loaded first, she would be more comfortable being pushed into the sling. Little White was loaded without problems, however, when it came to loading Little Grey, she became timid and hesitant to enter the sling, making vocalizations that can only be interpreted as her calling out for Little White. After an hour delay, Little Grey finally entered the sling and the two belugas were on their way to Shanghai airport.

### Shanghai Airport

Upon arrival at Shanghai airport, another issue became apparent. The airport's customs officials had to clear the belugas first so that they were allowed to leave the country, but none were on shift and wouldn't be until 8am that next morning. The belugas flight was scheduled to leave at 5:45am, and if the belugas could not be cleared for transport in time, they would not be able to fly to Iceland. Several hours later, the customs officials arrived the whales were cleared for transport. This did, however, cause a delay on the schedule.

In the early hours of June 19th, Little Grey and Little White officially departed the Shanghai airport and began their journey to Iceland. Their caretakers stayed with them throughout the entirety of their flight, making sure that the whales were comfortable and that their containers were working smoothly. According to reports from Morgunblaðið, the whales were quite restless at the beginning of the flight but eventually settled in and calmed down.

### Arrival in Iceland

After ten and a half hours in the air, Little Grey and Little White finally touched down at the Keflavík International airport in Iceland at 1:41pm local time. But they still had hours to go before they arrived at the Beluga Sanctuary. After landing, the whales had to be cleared again by the Iceland's Food and Veterinary Authority. When this was over, the whales were loaded out of the cargo plane one by one. Little Grey, who had been loaded into the plane last, was the first to exit. Little White followed shortly after and the belugas had a quick veterinary health check at the airport. Once they had been checked, they were then loaded on to two separate transport trucks and began their drive to the Vestmannaeyjar ferry. At this time the whales were officially in quarantine, and their caretakers had to sit in the passenger seat of the trucks. To be able to watch the whales' behavior during the drive, the trucks were fitted with live cameras and communication systems. During the drive, a quick stop was made in Selfoss, a small town en route to the ferry, as the transport crew had lost contact with one of the live cameras. The belugas were back on the road a few minutes later. Upon arrival at the ferry's port, the trucks were driven one by one into the cargo loading bay of the ferry.

### The Final Meters

The ferry ride itself took only about thirty minutes and, reminiscent of the time Keiko arrived on the same island, a crowd of enthusiastic and welcoming locals stood on the harbor ready to greet the belugas upon their arrival in Heimaey harbor. The final steps we're now in action. The Beluga Sanctuary's indoor quarantine facility is located less than 100 meters from the harbor and the whales were moved the final meters still in their trucks. Their containers were then removed from the trucks and placed next to the sanctuary's garage door, which led straight to the landside facility care pool. Just before midnight, Little Grey and Little White were lifted out of their containers and carefully placed in the landside facility care pool. After a tiring 19-hour journey, Little Grey and Little White were finally home.

The entire journey was documented by ITV's John Bishop, who followed the beluga whales every step of the way to Iceland and through every hurdle and setback the belugas and their team faced. The documentary, named "John Bishops Great Whale Rescue", is available to watch on ITVX on-demand.

## A new home at the Beluga Sanctuary

### Quarantine

On June 19th, 2019, Little Grey arrived at the Beluga Sanctuary with her companion, Little White. They were immediately placed in quarantine at their new landside care facility, where they had to remain for the next six weeks minimum. The end goal was to move Little Grey and Little White to the sanctuary's sea pen facility in Klettsvík bay shortly after they had finished their quarantine but by the time their quarantine ended, the whales had not yet acclimatized and the weather was getting worse. The care team decided to wait until the following spring to move them. In July of 2020, when the day arrived that the whales had to have their final checkup before being moved outside, their veterinarians found that Little Grey and Little White had developed stomach ulcers and needed treatment. The decision was made to postpone their move by a few weeks.

### First Time in Klettsvík Bay

On August 8th, 2020, the belugas were finally ready to move into their sea pen. In the early hours of the morning, Little Grey and Little White were carefully pushed into a sling and lifted onto a transport truck. The truck drove the whales to the harbor, where they were then lifted onto the islands tugboat, Lóðsinn. One whale at a time, the tugboat ferried the whales to their new home in Klettsvík bay, where they finally had the opportunity to experience the ocean for the first time in nearly a decade.

In the beginning, Little Grey and Little White were adjusting well to their new home. They were able to feel the rain on their backs for the first time, the wind on their skin, the vocalizations of other cetaceans, and the cries of gulls in the cliffs surrounding their bay. After a few weeks in the sea pen, however, their caretakers began noticing that Little White was not acclimating to the new environment as fast as Little Grey, and the decision was made to bring Little Grey and Little White inside for the winter on December 8th, 2020.

### A New Plan

After noticing that Little White was showing signs of uncomfortability and stress within the new environment, the Beluga Sanctuary team had to think of other plans to ensure that the whales felt comfortable enough to stay in the bay. A new, intermediate ''Halo'' habitat that would sit inside of the sea pen to act as a middle-step for the whales was conceptualized and construction on this new habitat immediately began. During this time, the global COVID-19 pandemic halted supply imports to the country heavily, delaying the construction of the new habitat in the process. The new habitat arrived in Vestmannaeyjar in April of 2022, and the whales were now ready to move into the bay once more.

### The Boat

On the morning of August 14th, 2022, the day that the beluga whales were supposed to return to their sea pen in Klettsvík, their caretakers woke up to a grim sight. The boat they had been loaning to get to and from the sea pen had sunk unexpectedly during the night, leaking oil and fuel directly into the sea pen. An investigation was immediately launched by the sanctuary and the island police to determine the cause of the sinking. The bay and the sea pen were now a health and safety hazard for both Little Grey and Little White and their caretakers, and the move was cancelled once again. During the winter of 2022/2023, dive teams and sanctuary staff worked to remove debris and fuel from the bay to ensure that the whales could be moved in the coming spring.

### Second Time in Klettsvík Bay

On the morning of April 28th, 2023, Little Grey and Little White finally returned to the bay once more.

### The Time in Klettsvík is Cut Short

On May 25th, 2023, the Beluga Sanctuary announced that Little Grey's caretakers had noticed a decrease in her appetite following the belugas' move back into Klettsvík bay. Veterinarians immediately started treating Little Grey with antibiotics, but her appetite remained low. Ultimately, the decision was made to move both Little Grey and Little White back into the landside care facility to better be able to assess the situation. After moving indoors, Little Grey's appetite immediately improved and veterinarians discovered that she had developed stomach ulcers while out in Klettsvík bay. Little Grey will remain indoors in the landside care facility with Little White for an unspecified amount of time, or until her treatment is over. As of August 2023, Little Grey continues to receive treatment for her stomach ulcers.

## Transfer History

Little White's Transfer History
 Unknown facility, Russia
 Changfeng Ocean World, China

## Gallery

*There are no photos to display in this gallery.*

## References

1. ↑ Mega flytja mjaldra til eyja (Permission to move belugas to the islands). 2017, visir.is.
2. ↑ Captive beluga whale Jun Jun dies. 2017, uk.whales.org
3. ↑ Mjaldrarnir væntanlegir til Eyja í apríl (Belugas expected in April). 2019, ruv.is.
4. ↑ Komu mjaldranna frestað (Belugas arrival postponed). 2019, mbl.is.
5. ↑ Komu mjaldranna frestað þangað til veður leyfir (Belugas move postponed until the weather allows) 2019, visir.is.
6. ↑ Komu mjaldranna frestað vegna veðurs (Belugas arrival postponed due to weather) 2019, visir.is.
7. ↑ Director, S. Clarke. (2020). John Bishop's Great Whale Rescue. ITVX
8. ↑ The Beluga Whale Sanctuary, SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary update. May 17th, 2019.
9. ↑ Mjaldrasystur fá endanlegan lendingardag (Beluga sisters get a final move date). 2019, visir.is.
10. ↑ Mjaldrarnir lenda á miðvikudag (Belugas to arrive on Wednesday). 2019, mbl.is.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Director, S. Clarke. (2020). John Bishop's Great Whale Rescue. ITVX
12. ↑ Annar mjaldranna steinsvaf í fluginu (One of the whales fast asleep during the flight). 2019, mbl.is.
13. ↑ Annar mjaldranna steinsvaf í fluginu (One of the whales fast asleep during the flight). 2019, mbl.is.
14. ↑ Mjaldrarnir komnir til landsins (Belugas arrive in the country). 2019, visir.is.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Í beinni: Mjaldrarnir fluttir til Heimaeyjar (Live: Belugas transported to Heimaey). 2019, visir.is.
16. ↑ Mjaldrarnir lenda á miðvikudag (Belugas to arrive on Wednesday). 2019, mbl.is.
17. ↑ Stoppuðu á Selfossi eftir sambandsleysi við annan hvalinn (Stopped in Selfoss after losing contact with one of the whales) 2019, visir.is.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Í beinni: Mjaldrarnir fluttir til Heimaeyjar (Live: Belugas transported to Heimaey). 2019, visir.is.
19. ↑ Litla-Grá og Litla-Hvít komnar heim eftir nítján klukkutíma ferðalag (Little Grey and Little White are home after a nineteen hour journey). 2019, visir.is.
20. ↑ The Beluga Whale Sanctuary, Sanctuary update August 2019. August 27th, 2019.
21. ↑ Mjaldrarnir í Klettsvíkina í vor (Belugas to be moved to Klettsvík next spring). 2019, mbl.is.
22. ↑ Lengur í sóttkvínni en áætlað var (Longer in quarantine than anticipated) 2019, mbl.is.
23. ↑ Mjaldrar með magakveisu (Belugas with an upset stomach). 2020, ruv.is.
24. ↑ Fylgjast með magakveisu mjaldranna (Keeping an eye on the belugas upset stomachs). 2020, mbl.is.
25. ↑ The Beluga Whale Sanctuary, Little White and Little Grey are in their new sanctuary home! August 9th, 2020.
26. ↑ Mjaldrarnir komnir til Klettsvíkur (Belugas now in Klettsvík). 2020, mbl.is.
27. ↑ Litla Grá og Litla Hvít komnar til síns heima (Little Grey and Little White arrived at their new home). 2020, visir.is.
28. ↑ The Beluga Whale Sanctuary, Winter update. December 8th, 2020.
29. ↑ The Beluga Whale Sanctuary, Intermediate Habitat Bay Construction Update. July 27, 2021.
30. ↑ Mjaldrarnir við hestaheilsu og fá nýja laug (Belugas in great health and will get a new pool). 2022, visir.is.
31. ↑ The Beluga Whale Sanctuary, GIANT ‘HALO’ HABITAT SAILS 48 MILES TO SUPPORT BELUGAS RETURN TO ICELANDIC SANCTUARY BAY HOME. April 21st, 2022
32. ↑ The Beluga Sanctuary, Status Update: 24th August 2022.
33. ↑ Olíuleki í heimkynnum mjaldranna (Oil spill in the belugas home). 2022, mbl.is.
34. ↑ Litla Grá og Litla Hvít aftur fluttar í Klettsvík (Little Grey and Little White moved to Klettsvík once again). 2023, visir.is.