Canada’s final captive whales are scheduled to depart the country today, with six belugas from Marineland being transferred to two aquariums in the United States. The tourist spot in Niagara Falls, Ont., which has shut down, is now on the market for sale due to financial constraints, leading to the inability to provide care for the animals.
Upon completion of today’s transfer, Marineland will have relocated a total of 30 belugas and four dolphins in six separate moves to five different aquariums, marking the largest simultaneous relocation of captive whales globally. 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.
Although Canada prohibited the captivity of whales and dolphins in 2019, the animals at Marineland were exempted under a grandfather clause. An earlier plan to move the whales to a Chinese aquarium was rejected by the federal government, prompting Marineland to consider euthanizing the animals unless emergency funding was provided.
