THE NORWEGIAN WHALE RESERVE
The Norwegian Whale Reserve is an ambitious project with a mission to rewild captive whales by providing them a safe haven in their natural, arctic habitat.
The initiative was inspired by Hvaldimir, a displaced beluga whale who was in need of protection and rehabilitation.
The project evolved to encompass a much larger goal of rescuing whales who are living in small tanks around the world; to give them a chance for rehabilitation or release into the wild.
Norwegian Whale Reserve core goals are summarized as follows:
RESCUE
whales from concrete tanks, environments where they are displayed, or made to perform for humans
REHABILITATE
whales, reducing
their dependency
on humans
RESEARCH
and define best practice
for whale rehabilitation
and share these findings
RELEASE
rehabilitated whales back
into the wild
whenever possible
A True Sanctuary.
Hammerfest, the Arctic city that cared for Hvaldimir during the initial four months of his stay in Norway, has an ideal location for creating a natural space for formerly captive whales. The area is surrounded by islands and fjords, allowing for the possibility of enclosing a section of a fjord to create a suitable, protected habitat for the whales.
The Norwegian Whale Reserve (NWR) was established in 2022 as an independent organization with the primary vision of bringing captive whales of Arctic origin back to their natural habitat through rewilding.
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FLOATING CABIN FACILITY
A floating house with a dock will be the core base for the team providing care for Hvaldimir. This will provide housing for the staff, a small on-site veterinary laboratory and on-site food preparation should Hvaldimir require provisioning at any point.
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STAFF
Staff will monitor behaviour, provide social stimulation and enrichment, plus carry out daily health checks. They will be supported by a veterinary and animal care team. Our goal is to have interns - including veterinary students - join the team. The team will be supported through grants, university internship programs, government funding, private donations, corporate support and potentially through the visitors centre.
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CRITICAL CARE POOL
In the event of an emergency to ensure Hvaldimir can receive the highest standard of health care, a floating seapen will be positioned alongside the staff housing facility.
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THE FJORD
The ideal fjord will have key natural attributes that will provide for a stable, safe, and healthy environment for Hvaldimir to hunt, forage, dive and explore.
In March 2023, the politicians in Hammerfest voted yes to move forward with the discovery phase of the Norwegian Whale Reserve project.
NWR has completed environmental studies of the fjord to begin to obtain the necessary approvals and licenses. This work is currently in progress, and updates will be provided as the project advances.
OneWhale, the organization that co-founded the project, takes pride in this significant initiative and is actively involved in fundraising efforts.
Please support the creation of the Norwegian Whale Reserve. Your NWR donations to OneWhale will be earmarked specifically for this purpose & granted directly to NWR.
