A four-year old Beluga whale is set to become a star attraction at a Yaroslavl dolphinarium after being flown more than 9,000 kilometers across Russia.
The white whale was transported from Vladivostok in Russia's Far East to Moscow in a specially built 3-ton container on board a Tu-204-100C cargo plane, carrier Transaero said Thursday in an online statement.
From Moscow, the young whale was driven to the village of Dubki, the location of its new home, the Yaroslavl Dolphinarium.
The whale, which doesn't yet have a name, weighs about 350 kilograms and has a healthy appetite, the statement said.
Transaero has now launched a campaign to find a name for the white whale. Suggestions on social networks so far include Tush — a diminutive of the Tu-plane that it flew on — Pilot and Fly.
Beluga whales, which are distinguished by their large foreheads and typically white skin, can live up to 50 years in the wild. They are usually found in the cold waters of the Arctic and sub-Arctic seas.
