Russian activists on Friday welcomed a move by President Vladimir Putin to close a legal loophole that allowed sea creatues, particularly whales, to be captured to perform in aquariums and other venues.

Images of 100 whales cramped into a notorious facility dubbed the "whale jail" in Russia's far east sparked an international outcry in 2018.

The whales, which were destined for aquariums, were freed after an intense campaign by rights groups and earlier this month Russia said it had fully dismantled the secretive facility.

Greenpeace Russia director Sergei Tsyplyonkov had asked Putin to get rid of a legal loophole that allowed the capture of sea animals, most of them destined for aquariums in China.

"Are you suggesting a ban on catching (the animals) for entertainment? Yes, I agree, let's do it this way," Putin said during a meeting with the presidential rights council on Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference the next day, Tsyplyonkov said closing the loophold was "very important".

"The attitude towards children, the elderly and animals says a lot about a society," said Tsyplyonkov, adding that he was "happy" that Putin agreed with him.

Environmental groups put huge efforts into closing the notorious whale facility in Srednyaya Bay near the far eastern town of Nakhodka and releasing the whales into the wild.

All of the animals -- many of them calves -- went through a rehabilitation programme before being released into the Sea of Okhotsk between Russia and Japan.

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Russia closes notorious 'whale jail'
Moscow (AFP) Dec 3, 2021
Russia has dismantled a notorious facility dubbed the "whale jail" that kept dozens of the mammals in cramped conditions, causing an international outcry. Almost 100 whales were kept in the secretive facility in Srednyaya Bay near the far eastern town of Nakhodka in 2018, before being released after an intense campaign by animal rights and environmentalist groups in 2019. The animals were captured to perform in aquariums. The environmental prosecutor's office of the Amur Basin - in the Ru ... read more