Canada’s final captive whales are scheduled to depart the country today as six belugas from Marineland are being transported to two aquariums in the United States. The now-closed tourist spot in Niagara Falls, Ontario, is currently on the market, with financial constraints leading the park to declare its inability to adequately care for the animals.
Upon the completion of today’s journey, Marineland will have relocated 30 belugas and four dolphins in six transfers to five different aquariums, marking the most extensive collective movement of captive whales worldwide. These marine mammals have been relocated to various facilities, including Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, SeaWorld sites in San Diego and San Antonio, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, and Oceanografic Valencia in Spain.
While Canada implemented a ban on whale and dolphin captivity in 2019, the animals at Marineland were exempted under a grandfather clause. A previous attempt to relocate the whales to a Chinese aquarium was thwarted by the Canadian government, leading Marineland to issue a warning about potentially euthanizing the animals unless emergency financial aid was provided.