![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/marineland-belugas-jan2026-kristy.png\")
<\/p>\nFederal government approves plan to send belugas to new homes, with conditions<\/p>\n
\u2b50\ufe0fHERE\u2019S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW\u2b50\ufe0f<\/p>\n
\tOn Jan. 26, the Canadian government approved a plan, with conditions, to send 30 beluga whales and four dolphins to facilities in the U.S.
\n\tThe animals have been living at Marineland, which closed in 2024.
\n\tThey need to be moved because the park is unable to properly take care of the animals.
\n\tThere is some debate about where the best place for the animals is.\u00a0
\n\tKeep reading to find out why experts say this is a good resolution. \u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Jellybean is one the 30 beluga whales stuck at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s lived in captivity at the park for her entire life.<\/p>\n
Her future has been uncertain since the park closed in 2024, along with the future of the park and all the other animals.<\/p>\n
But after an announcement this week, things are looking better for Jellybean.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It said it would have no choice but to euthanize the animals if the government didn\u2019t approve its application to move them.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the Canadian government approved Marineland\u2019s latest plan, with conditions.<\/p>\n
All the animals will go to facilities in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sites are accredited in the highest standards for animal welfare in the world,\u201d Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson told reporters on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a solid plan to allow these animals to live their life in much more healthy conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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)<\/p>\n
Conditions at Marineland have been getting worse<\/p>\n
For Kristy Burgess, a former trainer at Marineland, it\u2019s been clear that Marineland is no longer the best home for Jellybean.<\/p>\n
Burgess, who was laid off in 2025, has known Jellybean since the beluga was born in 2007.<\/p>\n
She said conditions at the park have been getting worse. The enclosures are falling apart and the paint inside the pools is peeling.<\/p>\n
She said the number of staff members taking care of animals is not enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s so much work to do, especially when feeding them, that staff don\u2019t get to spend enough quality time with the animals, Burgess said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not getting the same mental stimulation and care that they\u2019re supposed to,\u201d she told CBC Kids News.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re definitely not as happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/marineland-belugas-jan2026-pools.png\")
<\/p>\n
A drone shot from July 2025 shows the enclosures for belugas at Marineland. (Image credit: Patrick Morrell\/CBC)<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am super relieved that the minister acted in good faith for the welfare of these whales,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019m also wary as things can still happen. Conditional can still leave room for complications.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are two important conditions for Marineland to meet in order to have its permit to move the animals fully approved.<\/p>\n
Firstly, the health of the belugas and dolphins needs to be assessed by an accredited veterinarian, along with the plan to transport the animals.<\/p>\n
Secondly, there needs to be health supports for the animals once they\u2019re in their new homes.<\/p>\n
Marineland didn\u2019t respond to CBC\u00a0Kids News’s request for comment.<\/p>\n
In a statement to CBC News, it said: \u201cWe extend our gratitude to the minister and the Canadian government for prioritizing the lives of these remarkable marine mammals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Where are the belugas and dolphins\u00a0going?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marineland will be sending the belugas and dolphins\u00a0to various facilities in the U.S.<\/p>\n
They all have experience caring for the mammals. They are:<\/p>\n
\tGeorgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia.
\n\tMystic Aquarium in Stonington, Connecticut.
\n\tShedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois.
\n\tOne of the SeaWorld locations.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the best option for the whales, according to Andrew Trites, a marine animal expert and a professor at the University of British Columbia.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll four institutions are world class,\u201d he told CBC Kids News.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir conditions are head and shoulders above the conditions they have in Marineland.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why did this take so long?<\/p>\n
The Canadian government denied an initial request to send the belugas to a park in China because it didn\u2019t want to see the whales used for entertainment purposes.<\/p>\n
Some conservation groups have floated the idea of sending them to an oceanside whale sanctuary.<\/p>\n
Valeria Vergara, a director at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, said the best place for the belugas would be in ocean water.<\/p>\n
Thompson, the minister responsible, said her department looked into that, but those sites are not available.<\/p>\n
Trites said a sanctuary isn\u2019t the best option.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said belugas need mental and physical stimulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have to be kept engaged. Otherwise they\u2019re going to get depressed and they\u2019re going to die bored and their lives will be meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/marineland-belugas-jan2026-smile.png\")
<\/p>\n
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)<\/p>\n
You might think that releasing them into the ocean would be a good option.<\/p>\n
But Trites said that solution isn\u2019t feasible either because they don\u2019t know how to survive in the wild.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like taking your dog, who is fed kibble, and releasing it into the wild to find food. It hasn\u2019t learned to hunt.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
The reality of the government\u2019s decision<\/p>\n
Vergara, who is an expert on how belugas communicate, said it\u2019s sad to see the animals going from captivity to captivity.<\/p>\n
But given the urgency, she understands the priority is getting them out of Marineland.<\/p>\n
She said the facilities the belugas are expected to be going to are not \u201ccircus\u201d venues.<\/p>\n
They are focused on veterinary care and welfare, not entertainment.<\/p>\n
Still, she has some concerns and said it\u2019s important to be cautious about separating belugas like Jellybean from other members of their pod.<\/p>\n
She said that belugas are very social animals, just like humans.<\/p>\n
\u201cBelugas form lifelong bonds with familiar individuals,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFamilies and friendships are as important to belugas as they are to humans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with being transported to a new home, these complex social changes can be stressful and disruptive to the belugas, she said.<\/p>\n
Interested in reading more animal news? Check out these stories!<\/p>\n
\ufeff\ufeffHave more questions? \ufeffWant to tell us how we’re doing? Use the \u201csend us feedback\u201d link below. \u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
With files from Carly Thomas, Saira Peesker and Desmond Brown\/CBC News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Federal government approves plan to send belugas to new homes, with conditions \u2b50\ufe0fHERE\u2019S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW\u2b50\ufe0f…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265798,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[85,46,141,386],"class_list":["post-265797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}