Belugas freed from captivity into world's first whale sanctuary

"We'll continue to carefully monitor the whales but we're pleased with their overall progress and welfare checks, which have been taking place throughout the relocation," Bool said. "The coordination of this project has been down to so many people and we're extremely grateful for all their hard work, and are thrilled this epic journey has gone as planned."

British company Merlin Entertainment, which has a policy against keeping captive whales and dolphins, acquired Changfeng Ocean World in 2012 whereupon it started planning to rehome the belugas. Merlin also runs Legoland and Madame Tussauds.

It is thought Little Grey and Little White were two or three years old when they were captured in Russian Arctic waters.

Conservationists, who have long called for the end of whale and dolphin entertainment shows, welcomed the move.

Cathy Williamson, from Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said: "The world's first whale sanctuary represents a pathway to the end of the keeping of whales and dolphins confined for entertainment. We are proud to be a partner of this important project that will improve welfare for these belugas, and show the world that there is an alternative to whale and dolphin captivity."

The bay where the whales will now live, which is around 32,000 square meters in size and up to 10 meters deep, has been netted off to ensure the whales cannot escape because they would likely not survive in the wild. The bay was chosen for its natural sub-Arctic environment, which resembles belugas' usual territory.