Teenagers Miranda and Plombir were a mere few hundred metres away when bombs exploded in their war-ravaged city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Only they aren't humans — they're beluga whales.
They have successfully found a new home in Oceanogràfic, Spain, after a multi-national collaboration came together to pull off what experts say is most likely "the most complex marine mammal rescue ever undertaken".
And it came just in time.
Across two days in June, a team of experts from Oceanogràfic de Valencia, Georgia Aquarium, and SeaWorld assisted Ukraine's NEMO Dolphinarium in rescuing the 15-year-old male (Plombir) and 14-year-old female (Miranda).
The pair lived in NEMO Dolphinarium in the heart of the war-ravaged region of Kharkiv, which in recent weeks has faced an increased threat from artillery fire.
The director of zoological operations at Oceanogràfic, Daniel Garcia-Párraga, said that they would not have lasted much longer.
"The war has caused food, energy and medicine shortages, reducing access to other basic necessities for animal care as well as technical supplies necessary for the logistics of such a sensitive rescue," he said.
"The belugas have a suboptimal body condition to undertake this type of trip, but if they had continued in Kharkiv, their chances of survival would have been very slim."
Complex mission
Since the war began in 2022, the dolphinarium had been carrying out evacuations, but moving belugas is a whole different ball game.
The senior director of animal wellbeing and behaviour at Georgia Aquarium, Dennis Christen, said that moving belugas was a complex logistical operation due to their size and specific needs.
The mission required months of preparations and the participation of international experts spanning multiple countries.
"The complexities of this evacuation were immense, and we have been working for weeks to prepare for it," he said.
Journey across a war zone
It was a gruelling multi-day journey across the war zone of Ukraine to their new home in Oceanogràfic in Spain.
The belugas arrived in Valencia in delicate health on the evening of June 18, following a gruelling journey across the war zone.
- June 17: 8pm — beluga whales depart from NEMO Aquarium in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
- June 18: 8:30am — beluga whales arrive in Odessa, Ukraine.
- June 18: 10am — beluga whales depart from Odessa, Ukraine.
- June 18: 11:30pm — beluga whales arrive at Valencia Airport in Spain.
- June 19: 2am — beluga whales arrive at Oceanogràfic, in Spain.
*All timings are in Eastern European Standard Time (EEST).
Beluga whales' health and safety 'top priority'
SeaWorld animal care specialist Keith Yip said the belugas had gone through "challenging conditions" so their health and safety was a "top priority."
"The Ukrainian caregivers were very brave, and the whole team involved did everything possible to provide the belugas comfort and safety during the evacuation to Valencia," Mr Yip said.
"I'm proud to have been able to share the specialised expertise needed to support the complex logistics for this collaborative rescue operation."
The beluga whales are being taken care of in separate areas that aren't accessible to the public, so they can recover properly.