A beluga whale swims in a tank at Marineland in Niagara Falls on June 11.Carlos Osorio/The Canadian Press
Marineland has begun relocating its whales and is shipping six belugas today to aquariums in the United States.
The park says in a statement that relocating marine mammals of this size is a “complex” undertaking that required months of planning and cross-border co-ordination.
The shuttered Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction tried last year to ship its complement of 30 belugas and four dolphins to an aquarium in China, but the fisheries minister blocked that move.
Marineland scrambled and struck a deal with a consortium of U.S. and Spanish aquariums, which co-ordinated a plan to move the whales.
Ottawa approves plan to move remaining Marineland whales to U.S. and Spain
Ottawa endorsed the plan to send Marineland’s whales to five marine parks: Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld locations in San Antonio and San Diego and Oceanografic Valencia in Spain.
The U.S. parks are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which rallied to help Marineland after Ottawa nixed last fall a request for permits to export the whales to China.
In the wake of that decision by the federal government, Marineland made international headlines when it threatened to euthanize all of its belugas if it didn’t receive emergency funds.
Some of the whales being shipped Monday are headed to the Shedd Aquarium, while others are going to SeaWorld in San Antonio.
“Today marks a significant milestone,” Marineland said in a statement.
“The international relocation of marine mammals of this size ranks among the most complex undertakings in animal care, demanding months of meticulous planning, specialized expertise, and precise co-ordination across borders.”
The park said it’s “deeply grateful” to everyone who made the move possible.
“Above all else, the safe, healthy, and comfortable transfer of these whales to their new homes remains our unwavering priority,” it said.