Federal government approves plan to send belugas to new homes, with conditions
⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
On Jan. 26, the Canadian government approved a plan, with conditions, to send 30 beluga whales and four dolphins to facilities in the U.S.
The animals have been living at Marineland, which closed in 2024.
They need to be moved because the park is unable to properly take care of the animals.
There is some debate about where the best place for the animals is.
Keep reading to find out why experts say this is a good resolution. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Jellybean is one the 30 beluga whales stuck at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
She’s lived in captivity at the park for her entire life.
Her future has been uncertain since the park closed in 2024, along with the future of the park and all the other animals.
But after an announcement this week, things are looking better for Jellybean.
The 30 belugas and four dolphins need to be moved to a new home because Marineland said it is running out of money to properly take care of them.
It said it would have no choice but to euthanize the animals if the government didn’t approve its application to move them.
On Monday, the Canadian government approved Marineland’s latest plan, with conditions.
All the animals will go to facilities in the U.S.
“The sites are accredited in the highest standards for animal welfare in the world,” Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson told reporters on Tuesday.
“I think this is a solid plan to allow these animals to live their life in much more healthy conditions.”
Kristy Burgess, a former trainer at Marineland, high fives one of the belugas at Marineland during her time working there between 2022 and 2025. This photo was taken before the park closed in 2024. (Image submitted by Kristy Burgess)
Conditions at Marineland have been getting worse
For Kristy Burgess, a former trainer at Marineland, it’s been clear that Marineland is no longer the best home for Jellybean.
Burgess, who was laid off in 2025, has known Jellybean since the beluga was born in 2007.
She said conditions at the park have been getting worse. The enclosures are falling apart and the paint inside the pools is peeling.
She said the number of staff members taking care of animals is not enough.
There’s so much work to do, especially when feeding them, that staff don’t get to spend enough quality time with the animals, Burgess said.
“They’re not getting the same mental stimulation and care that they’re supposed to,” she told CBC Kids News.
“They’re definitely not as happy.”
A drone shot from July 2025 shows the enclosures for belugas at Marineland. (Image credit: Patrick Morrell/CBC)
So when she heard the news that Marineland found the animals a new home, she said it will be a great change for the whales.
“I am super relieved that the minister acted in good faith for the welfare of these whales,” she said.
“But I’m also wary as things can still happen. Conditional can still leave room for complications.”
There are two important conditions for Marineland to meet in order to have its permit to move the animals fully approved.
Firstly, the health of the belugas and dolphins needs to be assessed by an accredited veterinarian, along with the plan to transport the animals.
Secondly, there needs to be health supports for the animals once they’re in their new homes.
Marineland didn’t respond to CBC Kids News’s request for comment.
In a statement to CBC News, it said: “We extend our gratitude to the minister and the Canadian government for prioritizing the lives of these remarkable marine mammals.”
Where are the belugas and dolphins going?
Marineland will be sending the belugas and dolphins to various facilities in the U.S.
They all have experience caring for the mammals. They are:
Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mystic Aquarium in Stonington, Connecticut.
Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois.
One of the SeaWorld locations.
It’s the best option for the whales, according to Andrew Trites, a marine animal expert and a professor at the University of British Columbia.
“All four institutions are world class,” he told CBC Kids News.
“Their conditions are head and shoulders above the conditions they have in Marineland.”
Why did this take so long?
The Canadian government denied an initial request to send the belugas to a park in China because it didn’t want to see the whales used for entertainment purposes.
Some conservation groups have floated the idea of sending them to an oceanside whale sanctuary.
Valeria Vergara, a director at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, said the best place for the belugas would be in ocean water.
Thompson, the minister responsible, said her department looked into that, but those sites are not available.
Trites said a sanctuary isn’t the best option.
He said belugas need mental and physical stimulation.
“They have to be kept engaged. Otherwise they’re going to get depressed and they’re going to die bored and their lives will be meaningless.”
A beluga whale appears to smile at the camera while swimming in its enclosure at Marineland while the park was still open in July 2023. (Image credit: Chris Young/The Canadian Press)
You might think that releasing them into the ocean would be a good option.
But Trites said that solution isn’t feasible either because they don’t know how to survive in the wild.
“It’s like taking your dog, who is fed kibble, and releasing it into the wild to find food. It hasn’t learned to hunt.”
The reality of the government’s decision
Vergara, who is an expert on how belugas communicate, said it’s sad to see the animals going from captivity to captivity.
But given the urgency, she understands the priority is getting them out of Marineland.
She said the facilities the belugas are expected to be going to are not “circus” venues.
They are focused on veterinary care and welfare, not entertainment.
Still, she has some concerns and said it’s important to be cautious about separating belugas like Jellybean from other members of their pod.
She said that belugas are very social animals, just like humans.
“Belugas form lifelong bonds with familiar individuals,” she said.
“Families and friendships are as important to belugas as they are to humans.”
Along with being transported to a new home, these complex social changes can be stressful and disruptive to the belugas, she said.
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With files from Carly Thomas, Saira Peesker and Desmond Brown/CBC News