Marineland’s whales are on the move.
The closed Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction shipped six belugas on Monday to aquariums in the United States, in what the park called a major milestone in a complex process months in the making.
Andrew Burns, Marineland’s external legal counsel, called the move “unprecedented.”
“It’s huge. This has required the … sudden and critical attention of all of the leading marine mammal aquariums on the planet and a complex, co-ordinated response involving dozens and dozens of people putting all their time and attention into the logistics, the care, the management, the financing of all this in an extremely accelerated time frame,” he said in an interview Monday.
The park tried last year to ship its complement of 30 belugas and four dolphins to an aquarium in China, but the fisheries minister blocked that move.
Marineland scrambled and struck a deal with a consortium of U.S. and Spanish aquariums, which co-ordinated a plan to move the whales.
Ottawa endorsed the plan to send Marineland’s whales to five marine parks: Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld locations in San Antonio and San Diego and Oceanografic Valencia in Spain.
The U.S. parks are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which rallied to help Marineland after Ottawa nixed last fall a request for permits to export the whales to China.
In the wake of that decision by the federal government, Marineland made international headlines when it threatened to euthanize all of its belugas if it didn’t receive emergency funds.
Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson marked the “first wave of the rescue mission at Marineland” in a statement on Monday, thanking the consortium of aquariums, the veterinarians and all organizations working to ensure the whales are transported safely.
Marineland has begun relocating its whales and is set to ship six belugas to aquariums in the United States, in what the park called a major milestone in a complex process months in the making. Andrew Burns, Marineland’s external legal counsel, said the move is “unprecedented.” Four of the whales being shipped Monday—belugas named Sierra, Acadia, Osiris and Lillooet—are headed to the Shedd Aquarium, while the others—Bertie Botts and Frankie—are going to SeaWorld in San Antonio.
Burns told The Canadian Press that all six whales will travel on one plane, on a flight expected to last an hour at most to the first stop in Chicago, then a longer jaunt to Texas.
“What we’re doing is we’re breaking up these moves and the reason for breaking up the moves is because that way there can be more focus on a smaller number of whales to ensure that they get maximum care and attention,” he said.
The whales have been trained to go into a special pool from which they will be lifted and transported, Burns said.
The Canadian Press went inside Marineland to watch the delicate dance to lift three of the six whales out of their pools.
Several dozen workers with Marineland and Shedd Aquarium, along with operators of two massive mobile cranes and three transport trucks, worked at the Arctic Cove pool where they gathered four female belugas.
The crane operator lowered a custom-made sling into the pool and slowly lifted a beluga named Sierra out. The whale thrashed a bit in the sling before being eased into a tank on a transport truck.
The whale was then lowered into a large transport container with a pool liner and “plush soft material” to act as a cushion, and partially filled with water, Burns said.
Over at Frienship Cove, the team of more than a dozen trainers from Marineland and Shedd slowly waded into the shallow pool.
The last whale to be moved, Bertie Botts, swam around slowly. Then the team wrapped the whale in a net and walked it over to the sling, which was partially submerged.
As the crane lifted Bertie Botts into the tank, the team clapped, relieved that part of the journey was over.
The whales then left in a convoy, escorted by police, for a two-hour drive to Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Burns said the convoy would move slowly and avoid steep inclines and declines in an effort to keep the whales in a stable position. The same is true of the plane, he said, which will have to take off without a steep incline and descend equally slowly.
The convoy included reserve trucks, cranes, medical teams, vans with staff members.
“At any point on the journey, if anyone indicates a whale has any issue, we’re capable of stopping, we’re capable of treating the animal, we’re capable of turning them around and bringing them right back,” Burns said.
Everything has been cleared in advance so the containers will go directly onto a lift that will take them on the plane, he said. The plane was set to take off at a “very careful rate” so it doesn’t disturb the whales, and fly at a certain altitude to ensure they’re safe, he said.
“And they’re monitored and taken care of carefully the entire time,” he added.
Marineland said Monday “marks a significant milestone.”
“The international relocation of marine mammals of this size ranks among the most complex undertakings in animal care, demanding months of meticulous planning, specialized expertise, and precise co-ordination across borders,” it said in a statement.
The park said it’s “deeply grateful” to everyone who made the move possible.
“Above all else, the safe, healthy, and comfortable transfer of these whales to their new homes remains our unwavering priority,” it said.
A spokesperson for the Shedd Aquarium said in a statement on behalf of the U.S. coalition that experts taking part in the “complex rescue operation” are focusing on the whales’ comfort and safety.
“The group of accredited aquariums will share more details and updates as animals arrive safely to their new homes,” Johnny Ford said.
The whales were expected to land in their new homes in the early hours Tuesday.
