While not the first person to strip naked for whales, Natalia Avseenko may be the first to do it in near freezing Arctic waters.
Natalia Avseenko, 36, a Russian scientist and professional diver stripped naked to swim with whales in the White Sea located at the northwest corner of Russia near the Arctic Circle. Why? According to Russian media, marine experts believe belugas do not like to be touched by artificial materials such as diving suits and are therefore difficult to study in their natural habitat.The beluga whale (aka white whale) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the unicorn tusked narwhal. This marine mammal is commonly referred to as the beluga, melonhead, or sea canary due to its high-pitched twitter.
While Natalia may receive global notoriety for this stunt we don’t expect her act to receive praise from animal rights activists like Paul Watson because Avseenko is part of a team at the Utrish Dolphinarium that prepares belugas for captivity by closing off a section of the sea with barriers… a controversial practice that many countries are starting to ban. They close off a section of the sea with barriers, essentially making a cage, so that the whales become accustomed to, and trained for, life in an aquarium.
