Dozens of Marineland's beluga whales coming to U.S. through international emergency rescue plan

Dozens of beluga whales from the shuttered Marineland are set to be relocated to U.S. aquariums under an international emergency rescue plan after federal approval earlier this month. Twenty-eight belugas will be moved from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario to accredited facilities including SeaWorld San Antonio and San Diego, the Georgia Aquarium, and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. A joint statement earlier this month from the aquariums said two additional whales will go to Oceanografic Valencia in Spain, pending permits from the Spanish government. The NOAA said it issued the relocation in July to ensure the animals receive medical treatment and husbandry unavailable in Canada, citing no other Canadian facilities able to provide comparable care. The rescue is expected to take several weeks to mobilize and complete. Marineland has faced scrutiny, with 20 whale deaths reported there since 2019.