The uncertain future of Canada's 30 rescued belugas

What the report says

Canada’s last captive belugas have been moved from the closed Marineland park near Niagara Falls to aquariums and other facilities in North America and Spain after the Canadian government blocked a proposed sale to China on animal-welfare grounds. According to BBC World News, the decision led Marineland to say the whales might otherwise have to be euthanised, prompting an international rescue effort that became the largest transfer of captive whales ever carried out. The final animal to leave, a beluga named Tofino, was transported to SeaWorld San Antonio.

The BBC reported that the operation has since been overshadowed by deaths among the relocated animals. Five belugas and one dolphin have died, including several animals sent to Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and one beluga and one dolphin at Oceanogràfic València in Spain. Some necropsies found chronic disease, and in one case foreign material in the stomach. Aquarium officials said the whales were already old or medically complex, and that the move was intended to provide specialised care after the animals had spent years in an ageing facility.

The episode has reignited debate over what should happen to captive whales that cannot be released into the wild. Marineland closed in 2024 after years of welfare concerns and financial problems, and Canada banned cetacean captivity and breeding years ago. Animal-welfare groups argue that sanctuaries, including a proposed sea-based site in Nova Scotia, could offer a better long-term option, although such projects are still developing and unproven at scale.