Twenty-eight beluga whales are set to be relocated from a shuttered Canadian theme park to aquariums across the United States after federal officials approved an emergency import earlier this month as part of an international rescue effort.
Marineland closed to the public in 2024 but has remained in possession of the whales, which it says it lacks the resources to continue caring for. Around a year after closing, the park said it would have no choice but to euthanize the animals if a relocation plan or additional funding was not secured.
The whales will be transported from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to accredited aquariums including SeaWorld San Antonio and San Diego, the Georgia Aquarium and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, according to a joint statement earlier this month from the aquariums. Two additional whales will go to Oceanografic Valencia, an aquarium in Spain, pending the approval of necessary permits from the Spanish government.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it issued the relocation in July to ensure the belugas receive medical treatment and care that is not otherwise available, adding that “there are no other facilities in Canada that are able to provide the whales husbandry or medical care.”
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The rescue effort will take several weeks to mobilize and complete, according to the aquariums, and will be centered around the comfort and safety of the whales.
Marineland has come under scrutiny for its treatment of the animals. Twenty whales have died there since 2019, The Canadian Press news agency has reported. In 2019, Canada passed a bill to end the captivity of whales and dolphins, which became law.
In January, Canada’s Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson approved a conditional proposal to move the whales to the U.S.
Final export authorization from the Canadian government will be issued once veterinarians perform a health check on each animal, Thompson said in a statement dated July 8.