NIAGARA FALLS — A fourth group of beluga whales left Marineland on Friday evening, bringing the province one step closer to completing what park officials describe as the largest coordinated transfer of captive whales in recent years.
Night-time move to U.S. facility
Marineland said a team of specialists lifted three male belugas — identified as Cyprus, Jasper and Xavier — into transport tanks before loading them onto a plane bound for SeaWorld in San Diego. The operation was the latest in a series of shipments that began on July 20.
After Friday’s transfer, Marineland reported that eight belugas and four dolphins remained at the closed Niagara Falls attraction. The park said all remaining animals are slated to be shipped overseas by the end of the month.
Where others have gone
Earlier moves shipped belugas to three U.S. aquariums. Destinations to date include:
- Shedd Aquarium in Chicago
- SeaWorld in San Antonio
- Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta
Marineland has said the current set of transfers is part of an agreement with a consortium of American and Spanish aquariums. Two further moves are planned, including an overnight flight to transfer dolphins and belugas to Oceanogràfic Valencia in Spain.
Park closure and funding context
Marineland closed two years ago and is currently up for sale. The park has repeatedly said it no longer has the financial capacity to care for its whales — a reality that precipitated the transfer plan.
Last year, Marineland reached an agreement to sell all 30 of its belugas to an aquarium in China, but that arrangement was halted by the federal government, which concluded the transfer would not be in the animals’ best interests. Following that intervention, Marineland publicly warned it would euthanize the whales unless Ottawa provided emergency funding.
Officials and statements
Andrew Burns, an adviser for Marineland, described the transfers that began in July as proceeding smoothly and said the animals have adapted to their new environments.
“The series of moves that began on July 20 has gone ‘exceptionally well,’ and the whales have adjusted to their new homes.”
The park has not provided a detailed public timeline for each remaining transfer, only that all remaining animals will be moved abroad by the end of the month. The operation is being handled in stages, with specialists conducting lifts into transport tanks and coordinating air shipments.
Numbers and destinations
| Item | Number / Detail |
|---|---|
| Total belugas Marineland previously had | 30 (per previous sale agreement) |
| Belugas and dolphins remaining after Friday | 8 belugas, 4 dolphins |
| Destinations already received animals | Shedd Aquarium, SeaWorld (San Antonio), Georgia Aquarium |
| Upcoming international destination (planned) | Oceanogràfic Valencia (Spain) |
Local impact and public interest
The removal of large marine mammals from a long-standing Niagara Falls attraction touches on several public concerns: animal welfare, the fate of a shuttered tourist site, and the role of federal authorities in regulating cross-border transfers. Marineland’s closure has had ripple effects for employees, local suppliers and the tourism economy that surrounds the Falls, though the park’s recent statements have focused on the animals’ care.
Community members, animal welfare groups and federal officials have watched the transfers closely since the earlier plan to send belugas to China was blocked. The current arrangement — involving multiple North American facilities and a Spanish aquarium — represents a significant logistical undertaking involving overnight flights and international coordination.
What to watch next
Marineland has said it expects the remaining transfers to be completed by month’s end. Observers will be looking for updates on the timeline for those moves and for any additional statements from federal agencies about the welfare oversight of the animals once they reach their new facilities.
For now, the latest shipments mark a notable chapter in the long-running controversy over keeping large marine mammals in captivity in Ontario, and signal that the physical transfer of many of Marineland’s whales is nearly complete.
— Reporting from Niagara Falls by Ryan Kowalski, Ontario correspondent
