The Great Whale Rescue

(wondrous music) (narrator) Meet two beluga whales with something to smile about.

(chirping) The inquisitive, playful, and sometimes mischievous Little Grey.

(sloshing) And her lifelong friend, the shyer and quieter Little White.

(burbling) This highly intelligent duo has been performing to packed houses of excited fans for almost a decade.

(splashing and cheering) But that's about to end.

This show is closing.

(cheering) (whimsical music) In a few days' time Little White and Little Grey start their journey to freedom.

That's it, keep coming.

(beeping) (narrator) In a groundbreaking project, they will be moved... (man) We should start pushing her.

Let's start pushing her, guys.

(narrator) ...from captivity in China... ...on an epic 30-hour, 6,000-mile journey... ...by air, land, and sea to the world's first beluga whale sanctuary in Iceland.

(Andy) We're their guardians now for the next 30, 40 years, and we've got to do what's right by them.

(whirring) (narrator) It's one of the most complex animal relocations ever... (man) Everyone out, everyone out!

Very good, okay.

Just--just hold it, hold it.

(narrator) ...fraught with difficulty... (Tricia) No, listen to me now!

Listen to me now.

(narrator) ...and danger.

(sloshing) (indistinct remarks) If you let her go, it's gonna be harder the second time.

(narrator) If it succeeds, it could change the future for all the world's captive whales.

(beeping) But for Little White and Little Grey, this journey turns into an epic marathon.

What's meant to happen over a few months ends up taking almost two years.

(squeaking) (upbeat music) The Great Whale Rescue of Little White and Little Grey starts in a very unusual place.

Shanghai, one of China's largest cities... (honking) ...with a population bigger than New York, London, Paris, and Sydney all added together.

In the heart of the city lies Changfeng Park.

(birds chirping) A place to relax and escape the fast pace of urban life.

(frog croaking) (birds chirping) (dramatic music) Little White and Little Grey are the centerpiece of a hugely popular aquarium in the park.

(cheering) (splashing) They've lived here for more than eight years... (squeaking and splashing) ...entertaining thousands of fans every year with several shows a day.

(man) Hey, hello, hello, hello.

(indistinct remarks) (cheering) (splashing) (cheering and splashing) (narrator) But all this... (splashing and cheering) ...is history.

(squeaking) In a few weeks' time, if all goes well, Little White and Little Grey will become the first beluga whales in history to be rescued from captivity.

(burbling) (soft ambient music) (squeaking) Their new owners, Merlin Entertainments, have a different view of performing whales, believing they're far too intelligent and sociable to be held in captivity.

We don't believe that we can actually give these animals the full welfare requirements that they need, um, in these facilities.

So if you just imagine what will be going on when they eventually get into the sea, the whole experience with animals would be so much more enriching, so much more natural.

So for me, that's the right way forward.

(atmospheric music) (narrator) Like dolphins and killer whales, belugas are easy to train.

(chuckling) -Okay.

-There are thought to be more than 300 of them in captivity.

Little White and Little Grey were captured when they were about two years old.

(squeaking) They've lived with humans ever since.

They're now about 12 and could live to 50.

(squeaking) This pool and their trainers are all they've got, for now.

(indistinct remarks) Their new home closely resembles the wild sea they came from nearly 10 years ago.

(ambient music) Belugas live in the icy waters of the Arctic.

They form social groups around 10 individuals called pods, and sometimes several pods come together to form larger groups.

(squeaking) Taking Little White and Little Grey back to the wild is hugely challenging, but worth it.

(Rob) It's a vision that we've been long waiting, long pushing for, long striving for, and we're just days away.

(uplifting music) (narrator) It's now just five days to liftoff, when the team attempt to airlift the two whales from captivity in China to freedom in Iceland.

Masterminding this massive international rescue with Merlin Entertainments is the Sea Life Trust... (indistinct remarks) ...and Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

It's taken eight years, millions of dollars, and more than 100 people across six countries to get to this point.

(birds cawing) Little White and Little Grey have been in captivity for too long to be released into the open ocean A huge wild sanctuary in Iceland is the next best thing.

(splashing and squeaking) The plan to get them there has been mapped out and practiced over and over again.

(wondrous music) The first step was to make two specially designed harnesses, beluga-sized hammocks, to wrap around each whale.

Little White and Little Grey will be carefully lifted out through a window before being lowered into specially made transportation tanks... taken across Shanghai, one of the busiest cities in the world... ...to get to one of the busiest airports.

Then they'll be loaded onto a cargo plane that's come from Europe especially for them, and flown to Reykjavk in Iceland.

(plane whirring) Once there, the boxes will be refilled with clean water, and Little White and Little Grey will be driven across Iceland... ...to get onto a ferry that takes them to a small island where only 4,000 people live.

(birds squawking) Here in a purpose-built new facility they'll be lifted out of their boxes and into a brand new holding pool made just for them.

(spouting) And the rescue team is going to try and do all that in just 30 hours.

(indistinct remarks) -And then once the... -Top whale trainer, Tricia Kamolnick, is in charge of getting them travel ready.

(Tricia) We introduced the stretcher by putting it in the water and reinforcing them by just coming to it, and they start pushing the animal towards the stretcher.

Okay, all right, line her up.

(narrator) Everything depends on Little White and Little Grey being persuaded into their stretchers on the day.

(chuckling) (Tricia) Okay, come on in.

(narrator) If either of them refuses, the move won't happen.

(Tricia) Okay, wait till the fluke comes up.

You wanna bring the fluke area in a little bit.

(pensive music) Good recovery.

Don't push too hard.

Okay, good, stop there.

(sloshing) -All right.

-A good practice.

-Controlled release.

-Sail away.

(narrator) But nothing can really prepare everyone for the stress of the big day.

They're living being, and so anything can happen, where you can't-- I mean, it's not 100 percent sure.

There's always something that could go wrong, but this has been very well planned.

Every expert in the field has been involved.

And I am very confident that this is gonna be just fine, everything's gonna go just fine.

(sloshing) (whimsical music) (narrator) Little White and Little Grey's precise history is unclear.

They were definitely very young when they were captured.

And we do know that before they came to China they were part of a Russian research project studying how whales interact with humans.

(splashing) When the Russian project ran into financial difficulties, Little White and Little Grey, still young and less than half their current size, we're taken to the park in Shanghai.

They haven't swum in the ocean since.

But in three days' time they'll be on their way back to the sea.

Everything about this project is unique, designed from scratch.

(Craig) That spray bar down low is gonna be in front of the whale's nose, and even if they're floating, they're gonna be calm.

-Mhm.

-Or we can still-- (narrator) Craig Thorburn has been in charge of building the high-tech tanks that will be their first-class seats to Iceland.

It's not something he's done before.

We have shifted a lot of sharks around the world.

We've flown animals, um, you know, 60-hour transports for sharks, and all those sorts of things.

But, um, you know, a one-ton cetacean in five-meter fiberglass and steel structure on a plane, no, haven't done that before.

They are, uh, specifically custom designed to this job.

For these two particular whales, each whale's been assigned its own bin, and the way we want to manage them in transport means the bins have got slightly different layouts internally.

(uplifting music) (narrator) The transport tanks are ready.

The team is all geared up for the big move in just two days' time.

(unsettling music) But then some ominous news from Iceland: A massive storm has blown in.

(wind whistling) High winds and huge waves.

(waves crashing) The ferry that was due to take Little White and Little Grey to the island from the mainland can't get in.

(waves crashing) It's only the last nine miles of a 6,000-mile journey, but every bit is essential.

It has to be done as a whole.

Once Little White and Little Grey set off, they must keep going.

Any delay could be disastrous.

The team needs to work quickly to salvage the operation.

(indistinct remarks) Instead of the ferry, they're looking for a plane to take Little White and Little Grey from the mainland airport to the island.

It's got to be big enough to take the whales in their tanks, but small enough to land on the tiny airstrip.

(man) So we got three options we're working on.

(narrator) As the plan works on a plan B, the people who will miss Little White and Little Grey the most are making their plans to say goodbye, drawing pictures to go with them to Iceland.

(girl) Bye-bye, Little White, Little Grey.

-I will miss you.

-I hope Little White and Little Grey will have a safe journey and they can make more friends.

-We will miss you.

-You were born free.

I--I think you should go home.

I love you so much, goodbye.

(all) Goodbye, Little White.

Goodbye, Little Grey.

Please take care of them for us.

We love them.

(upbeat music) (narrator) Back at the beluga theater, with just hours to go, it's bad news.

(somber music) There isn't an available plane big enough to carry Little White and Little Grey, but small enough for the island's tiny runway.

(squeaking) Years of planning have just gone up in smoke (sloshing) To start all over again now is a massive task and a huge cost.

The whole project is in jeopardy.

(burbling) Things continue to hang in the balance for the next two months.

(distant siren blaring) (whimsical music) It's now mid-June in Shanghai, the hottest time of year.

Everyone is back at the beluga theater ready to start the epic move to Iceland.

Inside Little White and Little Grey are moving out of their primary pool into a side pool from where they can be loaded.

(whooshing) They've left the big pool, their home of eight years, forever.

(burbling) Lowering the water level should make it easier for the team to get Little White and Little Grey into position.

They need to stay calm, but Little White and Little Grey definitely know something's up.

(pensive music) Their care team monitors their breath rate to assess how stressed they are.

(burbling) (indistinct remarks) It's 6:00 PM.

Takeoff is less than 12 hours away.

(whirring) Everything must go like absolute clockwork now to make it work.

(indistinct remarks) An hour in and the operation is already behind schedule.

(sloshing) -This is--this is--this is a-- -How far off are we, -half an hour?

-Round one.

-In theory.

-In theory half an hour.

(Tom) Well, we should be-- we should be working now.

We're not ready.

It feels still too deep.

(narrator) The specialist vets are responsible for the whales.

They call the shots.

(Tom) Okay, we really need them to be on the bottom, pretty immobile, 'cause we could move them a lot easier.

If we have to try to get a stretcher around them now to restrain them, they're gonna try to get away.

(sloshing) (tense music) (narrator) First the team has to get Little White on her own.

(Tom) Let's take away the barrier-- there we go.

Okay, let's get in there, get in there, guys, get in there.

Get--so just in between.

-Yeah.

-But the lifelong friends -don't want to be separated.

-Uh, I think we should-- we need to get people over here, we need to get her.

Just get in between if you can.

Yeah, right there.

Okay, yeah, let's just start pushing her.

(narrator) They've been side by side for 10 years.

-She's gonna wanna get away.

-Being apart is completely alien to them -and very frightening.

-This is what I was afraid of.

Okay, that's what I mean.

This is the problem, she's not gonna like to be restrained.

(narrator) Eight years of preparation and millions of dollars have all been about the next few minutes.

Even though the team did months of stretcher training with the whales, they weren't able to replicate the real-life situation.

(Tom) She's getting there, she's getting there, guys.

We gotta get her over the pole.

(indistinct remarks) -Ah, she's pushing the pole.

-Little White is understandably wary, but within acceptable stress limits.

(Tom) Okay.

(indistinct remarks) She's pushing the pole.

God, that's--that's not helping us at all.

We can get her over the pole.

We gotta get her pecs over the pole.

They're in, okay, guys, okay.

-Get 'em in, get 'em in.

-There we go, there you go, there you go, guys.

Okay, good, good, good.

Very good, okay.

Just--just hold it, hold it.

Okay, hold her, hold it.

(sloshing) (narrator) After three quarters of an hour, the team persuades Little White into her hammock.

(splashing) (Tom) Okay, well, we have to-- we have to now position her so that her pecs are in the hole.

(narrator) They've still got to line up her pectoral fins with the holes.

(indistinct remarks) (Tom) Hold on, hold on, guys, just hold on.

Not too high, guys, not too high.

Okay, we gotta get her forward.

(dramatic music) Don't get hurt.

(sloshing) We're gonna have to lower her so she can move.

(narrator) The clock is ticking, but they can't rush.

(Tom) Let's just get the rope across there.

Keep--keep going.

One, two, three, go.

Okay, that--we're getting close.

One, two, three, go.

(indistinct remarks) There we go, there we go.

(clinking) (narrator) And she's in.

(Tom) Good positioning, you guys.

She looks really good.

Craig, let's-- let's get her out, she's ready.

(contemplative music) Okay.

(narrator) Little White has started her epic voyage.

(whirring) (Tom) Yeah, we gotta go back.

(narrator) So far she seems calm and well.

(Tom) Let's go a little bit forward.

(indistinct remarks) Um, this way.

(narrator) Vet Tom will monitor her closely for the rest of the journey.

(Tom) Uh, no, no, no, no.

We gotta go this way now.

(indistinct remarks) (pensive music) That's looking good.

(indistinct remarks) Okay, well, we--we need to-- we need to loosen this, right, so we can get it in.

Wanna make sure that she can breathe.

(indistinct remarks) It's okay, guys, she's breathing now.

(whirring) (narrator) Little White is safely in her container.

Back in the pool, the team are trying to load Little Grey.

It's the first time she's been alone for more than eight years.

(clinking) Finally, after almost an hour of gentle coaxing, Little Grey is in her hammock... (pleasant music) ...and she's calm.

It's a huge relief for everyone.

(whirring) Six hours into the move and Shanghai's two most famous beluga whales are finally leaving Changfeng Park forever.

The next step is a 12-hour flight.

(whirring) But then they reach the airport... (brakes hissing) ...and there's a problem.

(whirring) A senior Chinese customs officer has to be here to say Little Grey and Little White can catch their flight.

They can't leave without the officer's permission, and that person isn't here.

(man) So nothing's gonna happen before 8:00?

-Yeah.

-Okay.

(narrator) The customs office opens at 8:00 AM, when hopefully someone will be available.

But Little Grey and Little White's flight is meant to leave at 5:45.

(tense music) -Okay.

-A delay like this could stop everything right here.

(man) Nothing's gonna happen before 8:00.

Okay.

(narrator) Two hours go by, then suddenly, with about an hour to takeoff, the customs officials appear.

(indistinct remarks) With huge relief, the team are told everything's in order.

It's all systems go again.

(camera snapping) (pensive music) As dawn breaks, they're finally free to fly.

(whirring) The move that's taken eight years of intensive planning is finally happening.

(burbling) The 12-hour flight is the longest, most dangerous part of the journey.

Little Grey and Little White are constantly monitored by the vets.

(Tom) Yeah.

(narrator) Beluga whales simply aren't designed to fly.

(indistinct radio chatter) Crucially, just like us, Little Grey and Little White can be scared, so their careers are constantly there to comfort them.

(sloshing) (plane whirring) 12 hours later and this massive operation, masterminded by Merlin Entertainments... -I see it.

-So do I.

-....the Sea Life Trust... -It's kind of--wow.

(narrator) ...and Whale and Dolphin Conservation, has at last got to Iceland.

(uplifting music) I mean, both White and Grey did really well, and that's a long journey for them.

-They're troopers.

-That's the longest part of the journey done, but it's far from over.

(Tom) We have another four or five hours.

We still have to go on a truck to a harbor, and then we'll take a-- take a ferry to the island.

(narrator) The ferry terminal is a two-hour drive across the spectacular Icelandic interior.

Not far now.

(whooshing) This is the land of the midnight sun, so the late night ferry leaves port in broad daylight.

(whirring) It's the final nine miles to their new home.

(inspiring music) Little Grey and Little White don't know it, but they're passing the wild sanctuary where they'll spend the rest of their natural lives, possibly another 30 or 40 years.

It's a world away from their tiny pool in China.

But first it's quarantine for a minimum of six weeks.

In this purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility.

(whirring) (intense music) Right now it's time to get Little Grey and Little White -out of their tanks.

-Hands on.

(man) Keep going.

Watch the tail, watch the tail.

And in.

Okay, one, two, three.

-Let's go.

-Ready?

Down.

Okay, down.

Let--let her go.

(sloshing) Yeah.

She's out.

(uplifting music) Okay, when we drop the bottom, everybody move back.

(overlapping remarks) (man) Okay, guys.

One, two, three, go.

(sloshing) Good, I got you.

(narrator) Free at last in a pool full of the same seawater as the sanctuary bay where they will ultimately live.

It's Little Grey's first taste of the ocean in the best part of a decade.

All she needs now is her lifelong friend to enjoy it with.

(splashing) (inspiring music) (man) Wait till it's clear.

Hold some tension on rope.

-That's it.

-Here comes Little White.

-Slow.

-Everyone out.

(man) Three, two, one, gate up.

(whirring) (indistinct remarks) (narrator) It's a huge relief to everyone to see them finally reunited.

(spouting) (mellow music) This beautiful wild bay is Little Grey and Little White's ultimate destination.

(birds cawing) For captive whales who've lost the skills to live in the wild, a protected sanctuary, the world's first, is the best possible solution.

It's much more natural, well, it is a natural environment for them.

They'll have more space to explore, to dive deeper.

They're going to encounter local flora and fauna here, so seaweed, things like that.

(narrator) Andy has only just met Little Grey and Little White.

He feels his responsibility for them very deeply.

I didn't see them in Shanghai.

I've never seen a whale or dolphin in captivity.

I don't want to.

For me, making a positive difference to-- to Little Grey and Little White's life is the--is the whole point behind this sanctuary.

And the start of that for me, the real point where I thought, "This is actually happening," was after--after they were in the care pool, and no one else was around, and they both came up and swam past and eyeballed me.

(uplifting music) And that was when I thought-- it hit me that we're their guardians now for the next 30, 40 years, um, and we've got to do what's right by them.

(burbling) (narrator) For now Little Grey and Little White must serve out their quarantine and acclimatize for their new life in the wild.

Nobody knows how long this will take.

(man) Thought we'd give her, uh-- if she swallows.

(narrator) As the days fly by, there's still no fixed release date.

Little Grey and Little White are putting on weight.

(squeaking) But not fast enough.

And winter is coming.

(waves crashing) Once fully fattened up, Little Grey and Little White will be able to handle it.

But they aren't ready yet.

The decision's made.

(burbling) There'll be no release until next year, spring 2020.

(sloshing) So close and yet so far.

At least Little Grey and Little White are together being well looked after and just half a mile from freedom.

Nothing should stop them now.

Except maybe a global pandemic.

(somber music) With normal life and international travel virtually shut down, the final release is halted again.

(pleasant music) Four months later, the release is back on... ...planned for five days' time.

Everyone makes their way back to Iceland.

It's almost 15 months since they started.

There's a new face in town tasked with moving Little Grey and Little White the final short trip to the sanctuary.

(spouting) (Jessica) You have nice whale breath.

You have nice whale breath.

(narrator) Whale trainer Jessica Whiton has come here from Chicago.

(Jessica) Welcome, everyone.

(laughing and applauding) Yeah!

Thank you, thank you!

That's the only comedy act I got.

(chuckling) (narrator) The sanctuary is only half a mile away, but moving two one-ton whales anywhere is tough.

This move is just as complex as any part of the journey so far.

It's crucial everyone knows what they're doing.

(indistinct remarks) This is the final dress rehearsal.

(intense music) It's suddenly feeling very real.

(Jessica) We want to come in quickly, but kind of carefully.

We don't want to scare her.

Everybody in, set!

(splashing) You have to remember we're working with a real animal.

Her flukes and her pectoral fin can easily get dinged and cut.

Come in, you guys, and catch.

(sloshing) We will drop the floor to give us some depth.

Floor down.

(whirring) And together we will shift the poles under the whale.

One, two, three.

Perfect, all right.

If you're on the back of the whale, you have to be careful because you don't want to be leaning over those flukes.

Stop, we'll try again.

One, two, three.

All right.

You will lift the poles on either side.

The staff on the whale will step out.

Good--Tom, step out.

And from there we should be able to attach the straps to the pole.

(contemplative music) Hopefully our training has paid off and they'll be-- they'll be very calm for the lift.

So watch her tail 'cause her tail's gonna be really close over there.

And then we move to the bay.

(narrator) This will be Little Grey and Little White's final journey.

(whirring) (Jessica) The truck will lift the whale from the truck to the tug.

She will get set down on the tug and then secured.

The tug will go to the bay, the easy part.

(narrator) Eight years of planning, millions of pounds, and immeasurable human effort... (Jessica) The whole stretcher and hoist will be lowered and opened up so she can swim out.

(narrator) ...for this, the moment of truth.

(Jessica) And then we will get the stretcher out of the water as quickly as possible.

Sound good?

(narrator) After another month of delays, finally, it's the big day.

Nothing should stop them now.

(pensive music) (burbling) (door creaking) Two days later the team is back.

The trainers go in first.

Everyone else has to hold back.

It's all about keeping Little Grey and Little White calm.

For now, it's the release team feeling the nerves.

Once Little White is correctly positioned over the hydraulic floor, it's all systems go.

(squeaking) (sloshing) (indistinct remarks) Belugas have very soft skin, and Little White has snagged her tail fluke.

(sloshing) If it's serious, it could delay the move.

(tense music) The team decide to get her out of the pool so they can take a closer look.

(indistinct remarks) (Jessica) Push back, one, two, three!

(grunting) (whirring) (indistinct remarks) (narrator) The wound is superficial.

A quick treatment to stop the bleeding and she's ready to go.

(peppy music) (whirring) It's vital the next step goes as rehearsed to minimize Little White's time out of the water.

(indistinct remarks) (clinking) (splashing) (Jessica) It's all right, it's all right!

You okay?

(narrator) After nearly 10 years, Little White is finally back in the sea.

(tense music) No one knows how she'll react.

Everyone's waiting for her to come to the surface to take her first breath.

If she's stressed, she'll delay breathing for up to 15 minutes.

After three endless minutes... (man) Yes, that's the breath.

That's the breath.

(spouting) (cheering and applauding) (soft piano music) (spouting) (burbling) (birds cawing) (man) There we go, woo!

(chuckling) (narrator) Right on cue, the tug returns with Little Grey.

This really is it, the day Andy Bool has been dreaming of for five years.

The last 100 meters felt like 500 miles, but we're here.

Little Grey about to come off.

This is when our sanctuary becomes a sanctuary.

(spouting) (indistinct remarks) (splashing) (clinking) (indistinct remarks) (uplifting music) (applauding and cheering) (man) Andy, what do you think?

(Andy) I think it's absolutely amazing.

(indistinct remarks) -So what do you think?

-How are you doing?

(muffled speaking) (Jessica) I don't know, I'm kind of numb.

(laughing) (spouting) (narrator) It's a magnificent achievement for everyone.

(indistinct remarks) (chuckling) (applauding) (spouting) (narrator) After a short period of acclimatization, Little Grey and Little White finally swim out into their wild sanctuary.

Free at last.

Free to explore their huge new home.

It's taken years of planning and almost two years to move them.

An amazing example of what can be done.

Little Grey and Little White could live into their 50s.

But who knows, by then, because they've proved it's possible, they could be joined by several other captive whales.

(triumphant music) (bright music)