Six Marineland beluga whales relocated to U.S. aquariums

Six beluga whales from the closed Marineland theme park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, were moved to accredited aquariums in the United States in the first phase of a larger rescue effort. The whales – Sierra, Acadia, Osiris and Lillooet – were delivered to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, while Bertie Botts and Frankie were flown to SeaWorld San Antonio.

The operation required cranes to lift the animals from their pools, specialized water‑filled transport containers, trucks to Toronto Pearson International Airport and a cargo jet for the cross‑border flight. Marineland’s external legal counsel Andrew Burns called the move “unprecedented” and “huge”, noting the “complex, coordinated response involving dozens of people”. Canadian Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson announced the “first wave of the rescue mission at Marineland”.

The relocation follows a failed attempt to export the park’s 30 belugas and four dolphins to China, which was blocked by the Canadian government, and a later threat by Marineland to euthanize the animals if emergency funding was not provided. A consortium of U.S. and Spanish aquariums – including Shedd, Georgia Aquarium, SeaWorld locations, and Oceanogràfic Valencia – agreed to take the whales, with Ottawa endorsing the plan. The six‑whale transfer marks the start of a broader plan to move up to 30 belugas and additional dolphins to new homes.