First beluga whale sanctuary
- Who
- SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary
- What
- First
- Where
- Iceland
- When
- 2018
Marine wildlife charities Whale and Dolphin Conservation and the SEA LIFE TRUST (both UK) have collaborated to turn Klettsvik Bay at Heimaey Island, off south-west Iceland, into the world's first open-water reserve exclusively for the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas). The natural inlet in which the SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary is based covers a total area of 32,000 square metres (344,445 square feet) and is around 9.1 metres (30 feet) at its deepest point.
The sanctuary’s first two residents – Little White and Little Grey, arrived from China, into their new home in Iceland, in spring 2019. The sanctuary features floating pontoons for carers to monitor the belugas up close in the bay as well as land-based facilities such as a visitors centre and a Puffin Rescue Centre