Canada’s last captive dolphins have left Marineland for a new home in Spain while a beluga recently relocated from the park has died in a Chicago aquarium.
Trainers worked over several hours Wednesday morning at the shuttered theme park in Niagara Falls, Ont., to load four dolphins and two belugas into tanks on transport trucks that headed to Toronto Pearson International Airport for the journey to Oceanografic Valencia.
Echo, Lida, Marina and Tsunami are the dolphins leaving Marineland on Wednesday, joined by belugas Cleopatra and Jelly Bean. Moving the animals into tanks went well, with no injuries reported.
“The belugas got loaded very easily and very quickly and they were the last beluga females in captivity in Canada,” said Andrew Burns, Marineland’s adviser. “And then loading the dolphins went pretty smoothly.”
But staff at both Marineland and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago were devastated over news of the death of Peekachu, a 23-year-old beluga that was shipped to the United States two weeks ago.
“Peekachu passed away suddenly Tuesday evening after blood work indicated she was dehydrated and her care team attempted to provide supportive care and fluids,” Shedd spokesperson Johnny Ford wrote in an email.
“From the outset, we understood that each rescued whale would arrive with individual health needs and that a fuller picture of their health would emerge through continued assessment and care. We knew a loss was possible, even as our teams worked and hoped for a different outcome.”
Shedd will perform a necropsy to try to better understand what happened and noted that Peekachu showed “early signs of progress as she settled in with the fellow rescued whales.”
“Shedd remains guarded but hopeful concerning the condition of the additional rescued belugas, who are still being monitored around the clock,” the spokesperson said.
The Chicago park has taken in eight of Marineland’s whales so far.
Marineland said in a statement it was “deeply saddened” to learn of Peekachu’s death.
“We remain grateful to Shedd Aquarium for their partnership in the relocation of Marineland’s belugas, and we have full confidence that the whales in their care are receiving the very best attention from a team of thoughtful, dedicated experts,” it said.
The six belugas remaining in Marineland–the last captive whales in Canada–are also soon set to go to the United States.
The largest collective move of captive whales and dolphins—30 belugas and four dolphins—has been underway since mid-July as Marineland moves all of its animals off the property.
The park is up for sale and has said it is running out of money and can no longer afford to care for the animals.
It had originally sold all of its belugas and dolphins to an aquarium in China, but the federal government blocked the move, saying it violated the spirit of a 2019 federal law.
That law banned whale and dolphin captivity, and forbade breeding and performances.
After Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson nixed the move to China, Marineland threatened to euthanize all of its belugas and whales unless the federal government provided an emergency infusion of cash. The park then turned to a consortium of American and Spanish aquariums for help.
Thompson said Wednesday that Peekachu’s death was “difficult news,” but she has confidence in the care the whales are receiving from Shedd and the other aquariums involved.
“This is a rescue operation, which gives these animals the best chance for survival,” Thompson said in a statement.
“My thoughts are with the people caring for these animals, as the work continues to care for the other belugas.”
Marineland’s belugas have also been shipped to SeaWorld locations in San Diego and San Antonio and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The park’s animals have struggled in recent years, with one killer whale, 19 belugas and one dolphin dying there since 2019.
Marineland was put up for sale two years ago and sources say a deal is in place to sell the land once all the animals are gone.
Along with the remaining belugas, about several hundred deer still live at the park.
