Twenty-eight beluga whales are expected to be moved from a closed Canadian theme park to aquariums in the United States after federal authorities cleared an emergency import request this month, advancing a cross-border effort to secure long-term care for the animals.
Marineland, located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, shut its doors to visitors in 2024 but has continued to house the belugas. The park has said it no longer has the financial resources needed to care for them and warned that, without new funding or an approved relocation plan, it could be forced to euthanize the animals.
Under the plan, the whales will be transferred from Marineland to accredited facilities including SeaWorld parks in San Antonio and San Diego, the Georgia Aquarium and Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, the aquariums said in a joint statement earlier this month. Two other belugas are slated to be sent to Oceanografic Valencia in Spain, pending final permit approvals from Spanish officials.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it authorized the move in July so the belugas could receive veterinary treatment and specialized care that is not currently available to them. The agency added that “there are no other facilities in Canada that are able to provide the whales husbandry or medical care.”
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Aquarium officials said the rescue and transport operation will take several weeks to organize and complete, with the whales’ safety, health and comfort guiding each stage of the process.
Marineland has faced growing criticism over animal welfare concerns. Twenty whales have died at the facility since 2019, according to reporting by The Canadian Press. That same year, Canada passed a bill that became law and effectively ended the keeping of whales and dolphins in captivity.
In January, Canadian Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson approved a conditional proposal that would allow the belugas to be transferred to the United States.
Canada’s final export authorization will be granted after veterinarians conduct health assessments on each whale, Thompson said in a July 8 statement.
contributed to this report.
