• Source:JND
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A viral video showing stranded beluga whales on the shores of Kamchatka, Russia, has ignited a wave of false claims suggesting that the whales predicted the recent 8.8-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck the region. The video, widely circulated on social media, shows five belugas, including a calf, beached in shallow waters while fishermen rush to keep them moist and eventually help them return to the ocean as the tide rises.

Many users have shared the video with captions implying that the animals were warning signs of the massive quake, calling it an "unusual event" that occurred hours before disaster struck. The narrative gained traction, with some users suggesting that the belugas’ stranding was an omen of the seismic event, or that animals somehow sensed the impending quake and tsunami before humans.

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The Truth: Video Dates Back To 2023

Fact-checkers and sources close to the footage have debunked these claims. The video was originally uploaded to YouTube on August 13, 2023, nearly two years before the current earthquake. It captures an incident involving a pod of belugas that were stranded in Kamchatka due to tidal changes. Russian fishermen, identified as members of the Sokol family artel, successfully rescued the whales, ensuring their safe return to the sea.

Massive Earthquake Hits Russia's Far East

The resurfacing of the video came amid heightened public anxiety following the powerful earthquake that struck roughly 84 miles off the Russian coast on Wednesday at 7:24 pm EST (12:30 am BST), at a depth of 19.3 kilometres. It is the sixth most powerful quake ever recorded and the largest since the 2011 disaster that triggered the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in Japan.

Shortly after this week’s earthquake, four whales were reportedly found beached in Japan’s Chiba prefecture, near Tateyama. Japanese TV channels aired footage of the stranded whales, further fueling speculation about a connection between the behaviour of marine mammals and seismic activity.

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While it is true that some animals may sense seismic shifts before humans due to changes in magnetic fields or vibrations, there is no scientific evidence linking the Kamchatka beluga video to the recent earthquake.