A beluga whale, Jelly Bean, has passed away suddenly at Oceanografic Valencia as part of a relocation effort from Marineland. This marks the third beluga death following the transfers of whales from the Canadian marine park. Jelly Bean and another beluga named Cleopatra were received by the Spanish aquarium in late August. Within weeks of their relocation, two belugas from Marineland and a resident beluga at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium also perished.
Marineland cited financial constraints as the reason for the urgent need to move the whales to avoid euthanasia. The marine park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, successfully relocated all 30 belugas and four dolphins to aquariums in Chicago, San Antonio, San Diego, Atlanta, and Valencia, Spain.
The final transfer of Marineland’s whales to the United States included the last six belugas, marking the end of mammalian captivity in Canada. Since July, a total of 30 whales and four dolphins have been relocated.
