Operation Beluga

In December 1984, near the icy waters of the Chukchi Sea in Russia, a dire situation arose. About two thousand beluga whales found themselves trapped within a fortress of sea ice. Their lives were in danger as the thick ice walls surrounding them made it difficult to breathe. Some of these ice walls were more than ten feet thick. Urgent actions were needed to save the lives of these thousands of whales by breaking through the solid ice walls to lead them to open waters. An international effort began with cooperation from Russia, the USA, Japan, and other countries. The icebreaker ship, Admiral Makarov, equipped to handle the harsh Arctic winter, was dispatched on this challenging mission. The massive ship successfully broke through the ice walls, creating an escape route for the trapped whales. Initially, the whales hesitated to follow the ship. However, the crew on board found a creative solution. They started playing Tchaikovsky’s music loudly underwater using powerful speakers. These enchanting classical tunes successfully attracted the whales and encouraged them to follow the ship. Guided by the classical music and the path cleared by Admiral Makarov, thousands of whales traveled for days through the sea waves until they safely reached the open sea. This was a profound demonstration of human ingenuity and cooperation, showing that with collaborative effort, anything is possible.

By Shariq Ali, Valueversity