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<\/p>\nCaught in political crossfire and facing potential death, there are few options for relocating the remaining 30 belugas at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont.<\/p>\n
The now-closed theme park and zoo said in a statement last week that the whales face possible euthanasia after Ottawa denied its applications to export them to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China. <\/p>\n
Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson expressed concern that approving the export request may set the whales up for being used for entertainment purposes.\u00a0She said Wednesday she\u2019s \u201ccompletely open to looking at” other export requests and has been in touch with a provincial counterpart about possible solutions.<\/p>\n
While any applications for the export of whales fall under the purview of the federal government, animal welfare is legally the responsibility of the province.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he wants Thompson to reconsider her decision and help get the whales out of the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cEither they issue a permit and we end up finding a home for them, or they don’t issue a permit and they can come up with a solution \u2026,\u201d Ford said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Expert says whales face certain death in the wild<\/p>\n
As far as what those solutions could be, it\u2019s complicated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To release the belugas into the wild would amount to a death sentence, said Andrew Trites, director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If put into a setting they’ve never adapted to, they may get rejected by other animals and be \u201clooking at a life of starvation, loneliness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another idea being pushed by some animal advocacy groups is establishing a seaside sanctuary where the belugas could live in a fenced-off area in the ocean.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But a preserve of this kind isn\u2019t established anywhere in North America.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, in Klettsvik Bay, Iceland, there is a sanctuary run by the British charity SEA LIFE Trust.\u00a0 According to its website, the Beluga Whale Sanctuary was created\u00a0 \u201cwith the aim of providing beluga whales with a safe and more natural home\u201d and has room for up to 10 belugas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sanctuary took in females Little Grey and Little White from an aquarium in Shanghai, China, in 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WATCH | Drone footage shows belugas taking 1st swim in \u00a0Icelandic seaside sanctuary:<\/p>\n
Drone footage shows belugas taking 1st swim in\u00a0Icelandic seaside sanctuary<\/p>\n
In 2020, female belugas Little Grey and Little White were released into a seaside sanctuary in Klettsvik Bay, Iceland, after they arrived from an aquarium in China. The whales\u00a0have spent more than 90 per cent of their time at an indoor pool nearby.<\/p>\n
But since their arrival, the two whales have spent more than 90 per cent of their time at an indoor pool nearby, said Javier Almunia, a marine biologist, professor at the University of La Laguna in Spain and co-author of a 2025 published paper <\/a>on the sanctuary.<\/p>\n In an interview with CBC, Almunia said there have been big challenges, including an oil spill in 2022 that contaminated the bay and the belugas showing signs of stress from living in an open-water environment.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything is different. The weather conditions are changing. The temperature is changing.\u201d<\/p>\n Is a sanctuary best for whales in captivity?<\/p>\n The U.S.-based Whale Sanctuary Project, a proposal for a site in Port Hilford Bay, N.S., has been viewed by some as a possible Canadian option for the Marineland belugas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Charles Vinick, the project\u2019s executive director, said the cove could house eight to 10 belugas, at a cost of $1.5 million to $2 million a year to operate.\u00a0<\/p>\n The project is currently funded by donations, has an upfront cost of $15 million, and could be up and running by next summer, he told CBC.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe kinds of cost we\u2019re talking about are way less than what would be spent to build another tank on land for even a few cetaceans.”<\/p>\n
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The site for a proposed whale sanctuary is seen in an area south of Port Hilford, N.S., in this undated photo. (Whale Sanctuary Project)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760090347_7_default.jpg\")
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