30 Captive Whales Face Potentially Deadly Crisis, SeaWorld Responds
SeaWorld has entered a high-stakes fight over the future of 30 captive whales.
The beluga whales remain at Marineland Canada, an Ontario theme park that closed to the public in 2024 after years of financial problems, animal welfare criticism and whale deaths.
Marineland has since admitted that it can “no longer provide the long-term care these animals require” (via CBC). The park previously warned that the whales could face euthanasia if officials failed to approve another home or provide additional financial support.
SeaWorld San Antonio and SeaWorld San Diego have now joined an international coalition preparing to relocate the animals. The company has described the situation at Marineland as an “urgent animal welfare situation.”
SeaWorld Joins Emergency Relocation
“SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld San Antonio are proud to join a coalition of AZA-accredited aquariums in a coordinated international effort to rescue and provide long-term care for 30 beluga whales,” SeaWorld said in a Facebook post.
The coalition also includes Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut and Oceanogràfic in Valencia, Spain.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has approved the emergency import of 28 belugas under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The two remaining animals are expected to move to Oceanogràfic València.
The plan still depends on the whales passing health clearances in Canada.
If approved, SeaWorld San Antonio would receive 13 belugas, while SeaWorld San Diego would take three. Shedd Aquarium would receive 10 whales, and Georgia Aquarium would take two.
Mystic Aquarium will not house any of the animals but will provide specialist support during the transfer. Moving 30 belugas between several facilities will require veterinary teams, aircraft, custom transport equipment and coordination between Canadian, U.S. and Spanish authorities.
Mystic previously received five belugas from Marineland in 2021. Three later died, a history that is likely to bring additional scrutiny to the latest relocation effort.
Shedd Aquarium said caring for belugas requires “decades of expertise, advanced veterinary care, rigorous animal wellbeing standards and a deep understanding of what these animals need to thrive.”
United Parks & Resorts operates SeaWorld’s U.S. locations in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio. Its involvement in the rescue comes after years of criticism surrounding the company’s own treatment of captive whales.
That backlash intensified following the release of Blackfish (2013), which examined Tilikum and argued that captivity-related stress contributed to deadly attacks involving the orca.
SeaWorld ended its orca breeding program in 2016 but continues to house killer whales and stage Orca Encounter presentations at its U.S. parks.
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi operates differently. The park is owned and run by Miral – the same company that will operate Disneyland Abu Dhabi – under the SeaWorld brand and opened in 2023 without orcas, amid sustained international criticism of killer whale captivity.
Recent incidents have continued to place SeaWorld’s U.S. parks under scrutiny. Kamea, an 11-year-old orca, died at SeaWorld San Antonio in 2025, while federal safety officials cited SeaWorld Orlando after a trainer was injured during an orca exercise in 2024.
What do you think of the rescue plan for Marineland’s beluga whales?
