Uncertain future for 30 rescued belugas from Canada's Marineland as five have died
After Canada's Marineland sea park closed, 30 belugas and four dolphins were moved this summer to aquariums in the US and Spain. Five belugas and one dolphin have since died, and animal welfare groups question whether the transfer was justified.
Thirty beluga whales and four dolphins from Marineland, a closed sea park near Niagara Falls in Canada, were moved this summer to aquariums in the United States and Spain, in the largest transfer of captive whales on record. Since then, five belugas and one dolphin have died, and animal welfare groups are questioning whether the relocation was the right decision.
Why the animals were moved
Marineland needed new homes for its whales. When the Canadian government rejected its plan to sell them to China over animal welfare concerns, the park's operators said the animals would have to be euthanised. That prompted an international rescue effort involving several aquariums. The animals went to Chicago, Atlanta, San Diego, San Antonio and Valencia in Spain. The last cetacean to leave Canada was a beluga named Tofino, bound for SeaWorld San Antonio. Canada banned keeping and breeding cetaceans in captivity seven years ago.
Once the country's most popular amusement park, Marineland closed in 2024 after years of animal welfare concerns and financial problems, and following the death of its longtime owner. According to a Canadian Press tally, about 20 whales died there between 2019 and September 2025.
The deaths
Chicago's Shedd Aquarium has recorded the most deaths: four belugas brought from Marineland, Peekachu (23), Rain (20), Orisis (26) and Caspian (27), as well as longtime resident Beethoven (34). Necropsies on Peekachu and Rain found chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal system, along with foreign objects in their stomachs, including feathers, large rocks and what appear to be flecks of paint. Shedd believes these were swallowed before the move. A preliminary examination of Osiris identified chronic liver disease.
At Oceanogràfic València in Spain, a beluga named Jelly Bean and a dolphin named Echo died. The dolphin had arrived with serious vision problems.
Views and alternatives
Experts say it is too early to judge the outcome. World Animal Protection Canada says there are about 3,600 captive cetaceans worldwide and argues that animals too unhealthy for transport should not have been moved. It proposed turning Marineland into a hospice-style facility or speeding up a seaside sanctuary in Nova Scotia, which still needs an additional C$6 million. Offshore sanctuaries have yet to be proven as a solution.
Georgia Aquarium says the two male belugas it received are alert and doing well.
