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In December 1984 a hunter spotted a herd of roughly 3000 beluga whales trapped in ice not far from Chukchee Peninsula. Beluga are mammals: they must breathe air to survive. Passing under the extended ice – up to four meters thick – in one breath was impossible, so the whales were stranded in breathing pools that were closing in on them. When locals heard about their plight, they brought frozen fish for the weakened, starving whales. Russia sent the icebreaker Moskva to clear a path to the open ocean. At first, the massive ship and its propellers frightened the whales. They refused to follow the Moskva to safety. Then someone on board remembered that marine mammals respond to music. With classical music pouring from the top deck, the massive icebreaker slowly lured the whales to freedom. “Operation Beluga” took weeks, but by the end of February 1985 an estimated 2000 beluga whales were saved.