SerpApi.Org
Six beluga whales have been successfully rescued from a shuttered theme park where more than a dozen animals have allegedly perished.
Marineland, located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, has been closed to the public for two years, and in 2025, authorities threatened to euthanize the 30 beluga whales still held in tanks.
Following years of advocacy, efforts are now underway to relocate the remaining animals to new facilities across the U.S.
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"It's a milestone - we've been trying to do this for a decade," said Marketa Schusterova, co-founder of TideBreakers, the charity that has spearheaded the rescue campaign.
"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 transferred to other institutions, among them the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and SeaWorld in San Antonio.
Drone footage captured the large-scale rescue operation on July 20, showing cranes hoisting the animals - each weighing up to 3,500 lbs - into transport trucks.
The footage includes a poignant moment in which the rescue team secures one beluga while the remaining whales look on.
Given the shortage of sanctuaries and the animals' inability to survive in the wild, they will most likely spend the remainder of their lives in captivity at alternative facilities.
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TideBreakers has spent years advocating for the relocation of Marineland's remaining animals to safer surroundings, and in 2019 Canada enacted the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, prohibiting the breeding and future confinement of cetaceans for entertainment purposes.
Nevertheless, the organization noted that, despite this legislation, "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.
This challenge extends far beyond Marineland.
Globally, marine parks are shutting down, leaving whales and dolphins trapped in an escalating welfare emergency as governments, facility operators, scientists, and advocacy groups deliberate over optimal long-term approaches.
"We cannot simply demand that facilities "empty the tanks" without having safe, practical destinations ready for the animals," Marketa says.
TideBreakers maintains that immediate animal welfare must always take precedence.
"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 timeline for rescuing the remaining 24 belugas has not yet been established.
Marineland closed its doors following the deaths of the facility's owners, John Holer and Marie Holer, in 2024, according to CBC.
Staff members are understood to have continued providing care for the marine animals.
