Adorable moment beluga whale copies a little boy's movements while following him through aquarium enclosure

A little boy who was taken to the aquarium in Beijing, China, had his day made when a beluga whale shared a sweet interaction with him. The little boy had been visiting the attraction with his mother last month when the whale decided to put on a special display. The friendly creature followed the boy along the length of the enclosure as he blew bubbles while walking along a raised beam. The whale mirrored the curious visitor, swimming along before stopping and turning its head with its mouth open to surprise him. The stunned boy froze as he watched the whale's movements.

After a few moments the whale appeared to fake swimming away before starting a somersault with the little visitor turning his head upside down to follow. The boy's mother said: 'The aquarium was empty at that time, and it was very nice that my son had an exclusive moment with the Beluga whale.'. Beluga whales are known for their friendly and curious nature. They often engage in playful and social behaviours, making them a favourite among marine enthusiasts.

They are social animals and often live, hunt and travel together in pods. This is the adorable moment a beluga whale teased a little boy during his visit to an aquarium in Beijing, China. Known for their vocal communication and whale song, they are often dubbed the canary of the sea and their clicks and chirps are vital in communicating important information. A study from 2020 also revealed that beluga whales form complicated and long-term social bonds that include both kin and non-kin relationships, which mirrors the complexity of human social habits.

A team of researchers from Florida Atlantic University studied the movements and behaviour of beluga whales across 10 different locations in the Arctic. They found that unlike killer whales, which tend to socialise purely along the mother's side of the family, beluga whales frequently mix in large and diverse groups that often extend far beyond simple kinship. As well as for company, belugas' social bonds also allow them to migrate in large pods.

In the wild belugas migrate as the sea ice changes in the Arctic, moving south and then returning to feed again in the spring, as the ice breaks up but they can also be found near river mouths. However, many are kept in captivity around the world and taught to perform tricks for tourists and visitors to aquariums. Back in 2020, a project from the Sea Life Trust saw two beluga whales, Little Grey and Little White, freed from captivity in China and transferred to an open water sanctuary in the ocean for the first time in more than a decade.

The little boy had been visiting the attraction with his mother last month when the whale decided to put on a special display. The friendly creature followed the boy along the length of the enclosure as he walked along a raised beam, blowing bubbles and playing with his newfound friend. The whale mirrored the curious visitor, swimming along before stopping and turning its head with its mouth open to surprise him as the boy froze to match the whale's movements.

The 12-year-old pair were relocated 6,000 miles away to a facility at Klettsvik Bay off the south coast of Iceland to acclimatise, before their final release in to the wider sanctuary. In a painstakingly-planned, 6,000-mile journey the charity relocated the 12-year-old pair from a Chinese aquarium – where they performed as show animals – to the world’s first open water sanctuary. It marked the first time the belugas, both female, had been in the sea since they were taken from a Russian whale research centre in 2011, the charity said.

And this is not the first time belugas have been rescued from captivity. In 2019, Leonardo DiCaprio backed a campaign to release around 100 orca and beluga whales from a 'whale jail' in the Primorsky region of Russia. The animals were being held captive so they could be tamed and trained before being shipped to aquariums in China. The actor - who has more than 18 million followers on X, posted a plea to sign a petition demanding the release of the whales.

He wrote: 'Please sign this petition and join me in speaking out against the inhumane capture of orcas and belugas in Russia.'. The petition garnered more than 1.5million signatures, with the actor later writing: 'Thank you to everyone who signed the petition. Let’s keep up the momentum and ensure that these whales are released back into the wild where they belong.'. Russian president Vladimir Putin then demanded the swift release of 11 orcas and 87 beluga whales back in to the wild.