Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is leading an effort that could soon more than double its population of beluga whales.
In addition to the eight already housed in the 3 million-gallon Abbott Oceanarium could soon be joined by up to 10 more rescued from the shuttered Marineland of Canada near Niagara Falls.
U.S. authorities approved an “emergency rescue” operation Wednesday to re-home Canada’s last captive whales and dolphins according to a consortium of marine parks, though permits from the Spanish government are still pending.
The approval by authorities comes after Ottawa endorsed a plan to move the animals to several facilities in the United States and one in Spain last month.
The U.S. parks are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums who banded together to help Marineland after Canadian authorities rejected a request for permits to export the whales to an aquarium in China.
Shedd’s Vice President of Animal Care Dr. Karisa Tang said the massive undertaking will not be an easy one.
“An international rescue at this scale has never been done before and its incredibly complex,” she said. “Experts from around the globe have been working tirelessly on everything from supplies to cargo planes to veterinary and care support to make this recue possible.”
Getting the whales to the Windy City will not be a simple process, according to Tang.
The belugas will have to swim onto a stretcher which will then be lifted into a travel tank before they are trucked and airlifted to their new homes.
“There is an urgent, timely need to find new homes for them and we are here to help,” Tang said.
The whales are set to go to five marine parks: Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld locations in San Antonio and San Diego and Oceanografic Valencia in Spain.
Were it not for the rescue efforts of the Shedd and other accredited aquariums around the world, Marineland had been considering euthanizing as many as 30 of the white whales because it could no longer afford to care for them.
Marineland said it welcomed the U.S. authorization of the relocation.
“We recognize we can no longer provide the long-term care these animals require, and we believe this rescue — led by AZA-accredited aquariums including Shedd Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, SeaWorld San Antonio, and SeaWorld San Diego — is in the whales’ best interest,” Park owners said.
Hence then, the article about beluga whales from failed canadian marineland to be re homed at shedd aquarium was published today ( ) and is available on NBC Chicago ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Beluga whales from failed Canadian Marineland to be re-homed at Shedd Aquarium )
Also on site :
- Emmys 2026: ‘Widow’s Bay’ Leads All New Shows With 19 Nominations
- Northwest Biotherapeutics Presents Updated Survival Data from Phase III Trial of DCVax®-L For Glioblastoma Using Individual Patient Level Data in Multiple Independent Analyses
- ‘Little House’ Star Alison Arngrim Reveals the Haunting Prediction Michael Landon Made Before He Died