Six of 30 Marineland belugas have died since transfer

Six of the 30 belugas transferred out of the now-closed Marineland theme park in Niagara Falls, Ont., have died in the weeks since the move, raising questions about whether the whales were fit to travel and whether Canada had a better option.

The most recent death was Cyprus, a nine-year-old male, announced on Oct. 18 by SeaWorld San Diego, one of five facilities in the United States and Spain that took in the animals. SeaWorld said an ultrasound found his intestinal tract did not appear to be working normally. A full necropsy is planned, and the results will be shared with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We reported on his death when it was announced.

Four of the whales have died at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium: Peekachu on Aug. 25, Rain on Sept. 2, Osiris on Sept. 21 and Caspian, a 27-year-old female, on Oct. 7. A beluga named Jelly Bean and a dolphin named Echo have also died at Oceanogràfic València in Spain. Shedd said necropsies on Peekachu and Rain found chronic, pre-existing intestinal and liver disease, and preliminary results for Osiris pointed the same way.

CBC News reported on Saturday that the deaths have prompted a debate over the transfers. Dr. Doug Whiteside, head veterinarian at the Calgary Zoo and a member of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s animal welfare committee, told CBC the whales were already chronically stressed by conditions at Marineland and that the move added acute stress. He said international rules were followed and that the animals went to high-calibre institutions, but added that any acute stress “may push them over the edge.”

Whiteside said his understanding is that there was no better option, calling the belugas’ situation in crumbling pools “horrible.” Angela Fernandez, director of the Animal Law Program at the University of Toronto’s law faculty, said the transfer was still in the whales’ best interests, noting that 24 remain alive.

Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice, said the situation was entirely avoidable. She said governments should have planned a seaside sanctuary after Parliament passed a 2019 law banning the keeping of whales and dolphins for breeding or entertainment, and she said the public deserves more transparency about the animals’ health. “It’s almost a certainty that more belugas and dolphins will die,” Labchuk said.

Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said in a statement to CBC that Marineland was no longer able to care for the animals and that she remains confident in the rescue plan. She said the belugas are being cared for by experienced professionals. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans endorsed the plan in May, splitting the whales between Oceanogràfic València, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Shedd Aquarium, and SeaWorld facilities in San Diego and San Antonio, Texas.

Marineland told Ottawa it was running out of money, and in 2025 the federal government blocked its request to export the belugas to an aquarium in China. The park had warned it might otherwise have to euthanize the animals. Ottawa later gave conditional approval for an export to the United States. The last whale left the park on Aug. 31.

The deaths of Caspian and other animals earlier this month had already drawn calls from Animal Justice to halt further relocations. Marineland did not respond to CBC’s request for comment.

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With files from CBC News and The Canadian Press.