SerpApi.Org
Six beluga whales have been rescued from a closed theme park where more than a dozen animals have allegedly died.
Marineland, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, has been closed to the public for two years, and in 2025 officials threatened to euthanise the 30 beluga whales still in tanks.
But after years of campaigning, the mission is underway to move them to new homes in the US.
“It’s a milestone – we’ve been trying to do this for a decade,” said Marketa Schusterova, the co-founder of TideBreakers – the charity who have campaigned for the rescue.
“The TideBreakers team has monitored Marineland Canada, documenting conditions, exposing animal deaths, and advocating for improved welfare for every animal held at the facility.
“Since 2019, 20 animals have died at the facility, including 19 beluga whales and Kiska, Canada’s last captive orca.”
Six of the remaining 30 beluga whales have already been moved to other facilities, including the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and Sea World in San Antonio.
Drone footage shows the huge rescue mission that took place on July 20, where cranes lifted the animals – weighing up to 3,500lbs – into transport trucks.
It shows a heart-breaking moment where the rescue team capture a beluga, while the other whales watch on.
Due to a lack of sanctuaries and because they are not fit for release into the wild, they will likely live out the rest of their lives in captivity in other facilities.
TideBreakers have campaigned to move the remaining animals at Marineland to a safer environment for years, and in 2019 Canada passed the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, bringing an end to the breeding and future captivity of cetaceans for entertainment.
However, the charity noted that despite this “there are currently no operational sea sanctuaries for beluga whales anywhere in the world capable of receiving these animals immediately”.
“As a result, relocation to another captive facilities is presently the only realistic short-term option to improve the welfare of animals living in deteriorating conditions while long-term sanctuary solutions continue to be developed,” Marketa said.
And this is a wider issue than Marineland alone.
Around the world, marine parks are closing, leaving whales and dolphins caught in a growing welfare crisis while governments, facility owners, scientists, and advocacy organizations debate the best long-term solutions.
“We cannot simply demand that facilities “empty the tanks” without having safe, practical destinations ready for the animals,” Marketa says.
TideBreakers believes immediate animal welfare must always remain the priority.
“We hope governments, accredited facilities, scientists, and non-governmental organizations can work together to develop realistic, compassionate solutions that protect the animals both today and in the future,” Marketa says.
“Our shared goal should be to end cetacean captivity responsibly while ensuring no animal is left to suffer in the process.”
A date for the rescue of the remaining 24 belugas is yet to be confirmed.
Marineland had shuttered after the death of the zoo’s owners John Holer and Marie Holer in 2024, according to CBC.
It is understood staff continued to care for the sea creatures.
