Canada’s last captive whales to leave Marineland as belugas head to the US

Six belugas leaving Marineland on Monday will mark the end of whale captivity in Canada. Two are headed to Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and four to SeaWorld in San Antonio.

“There will no longer be any beluga whales or any other type of whales in captivity in Canada at the end of today,” said Andrew Burns, an adviser to Marineland. The closed Niagara Falls attraction is for sale, and the park says it no longer has enough money to care for its animals.

The transfer will bring to 30 the number of belugas and four the number of dolphins Marineland has moved in six operations to five aquariums. Other destinations have included SeaWorld in San Diego, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and Oceanografic Valencia in Spain.

Canada banned captivity for whales and dolphins in 2019, while allowing animals already held at Marineland to remain. The law also prohibited breeding and performances, leading the park to separate male and female belugas.

The changes came as Marineland’s fortunes declined. The attraction was once Canada’s most popular amusement park, but it struggled after the death of founder John Holer in 2018 and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Marie Holer later put the park up for sale before her death in September of the following year.

The animals also faced deteriorating conditions. A Canadian Press tally based on internal government documents and official statements found that one killer whale, one dolphin and 19 belugas had died at Marineland since 2019. In 2021, Ontario authorities declared all the park’s marine mammals to be in distress.

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There will no longer be any beluga whales or any other type of whales in captivity in Canada at the end of today