Five beluga deaths raise concerns over Canada’s relocated whales

The closure of Marineland near Niagara Falls led to the largest transfer of captive whales ever, after Canada rejected the park’s plan to sell its belugas to China and the animals faced possible euthanasia. All 30 belugas and four dolphins were moved to aquariums in North America and Spain, but the deaths of five belugas and one dolphin have raised concerns about their welfare.

The deaths include four Marineland belugas and one long-term resident at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, plus a beluga and a dolphin at Oceanogràfic València. Examinations found chronic illness in some whales and objects in two belugas’ stomachs that Shedd believes they swallowed before the move; the dolphin had serious vision and other health problems. Experts say it is too early to judge the transfers, noting that about 20 whales died at Marineland between 2019 and September 2025, while many captive-raised cetaceans lack the skills to survive in the wild.