More than 100 Beluga whales have been reported trapped in the ice in the Sinyavinsky Strait off the Bering Sea in far eastern Russia. Fishermen in the area spotted the whales, and report they are concentrated in two small ice holes. There is little food in the area and the ice flows are increasing by the day, which will restrict, and may cut off altogether, the whales’ ability to reach open waters. The creatures are at risk of exhaustion, starvation and suffocation and, while trapped, have to deal with the potential danger of polar bears and killer whales. Whales often get trapped in the ice fields but are not spotted and therefore go unnoticed. The last time that Belugas were rescued from the area was 1986.
