A beluga whale is transported by a group of experts from Marineland and U.S. aquariums onto a truck via a sling at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Aug. 12, 2026. The Canadian Press/Carlos Osorio
Two belugas and four dolphins from Marineland are being moved today to an aquarium in Spain.
This is the fifth move of whales from the shuttered theme park in Niagara Falls, Ont., as it moves all of its animals off the property.
Marineland is up for sale and has said it is running out of money and can no longer afford to care for its animals.
The park had originally sold all of its 30 belugas and four dolphins to an aquarium in China, but the federal government blocked the move, saying it violated the spirit of a 2019 law.
That law banned whale and dolphin captivity, and forbade breeding and performances.
After today’s move to Oceanografic Valencia, there will be six belugas remaining in Marineland, which are soon set to head to an aquarium in the United States.
Echo, Lida, Marina and Tsunami are the dolphins leaving Canada, the last captive dolphins in the country. They will be joined en route by belugas Cleopatra and Jelly Bean.
The remaining belugas are the last captive whales in Canada.
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.
The world’s largest collective move of captive whales has so far seen belugas shipped to SeaWorld locations in San Diego and San Antonio, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
