Georgia Aquarium helps rescue beluga whales from Ukraine, takes them to Spain WSB-TV Channel 2 [Video]

VALENCIA, Spain — On Monday, Georgia Aquarium staff joined an international effort to rescue two beluga whales from the NEMO Dolphinarium in Kharkiv, Ukraine as the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia threatened the safety of the city’s aquarium.

According to a release from the Georgia Aquarium, the two whales were evacuated from Ukraine to Valencia, Spain in a joint effort by the Georgia Aquarium, Oceanogràfic de Valencia and SeaWorld, who collaborated with the NEMO Dolphinarium to get the whales out safely.

“The city is facing increasing threat from artillery fire, which has intensified in recent weeks, with bombs dropping within a few hundred meters of the aquarium,” the release said, calling the area “war-ravaged.”

Aquarium officials said the rescue operation was complicated and presented multiple challenges that had to be met with multi-national collaboration.

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The two beluga whales, 15-year-old Plombir and 14-year-old Miranda, were taken to Valencia in delicate …