Three more belugas leave Marineland as whale relocation nears completion
A fourth group of whales has left the shuttered Niagara Falls park, part of a deal moving dozens of animals to aquariums in the U.S. and Spain.
Three male beluga whales named Cyprus, Jasper and Xavier were lifted into transport tanks and flown from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont., to SeaWorld in San Diego on Friday night, marking the fourth group to leave the shuttered park.
Marineland closed two years ago and remains up for sale. The park has said it can no longer afford to care for its whales. After this latest transfer, eight belugas and four dolphins remain at the site, with all of them expected to be shipped abroad by the end of the month.
Last year, a proposed sale of all 30 of Marineland's belugas to a Chinese aquarium was blocked by the federal government, which said the deal was not in the whales' best interests. Marineland then warned it would euthanize the animals without emergency funding from Ottawa.
The current relocations, which began July 20, are part of an arrangement with a consortium of American and Spanish aquariums. Previous transfers sent whales to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, SeaWorld San Antonio and the Georgia Aquarium. Two more moves are planned, including an overnight flight of dolphins and belugas to Oceanografic Valencia in Spain. Marineland adviser Andrew Burns said the transfers have gone smoothly and the whales have adapted to their new homes.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.