SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — SeaWorld San Diego is one of several organizations racing to save 30 beluga whales from the shuttered Marineland of Canada that is no longer able to care for the marine mammals — a move that will ultimately save the whales from being euthanized.

Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. government and Canadian government gave the approval to SeaWorld and partner organizations to save 30 beluga whales stranded at the closed Marineland park in Canada, SeaWorld announced.

Marineland of Canada, located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, closed in late 2024 and is no longer able to provide long-term care for the whales that remain at the closed park.

The rescue will be led by SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and Oceanogràfic Valencia in Spain, while Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium will provide additional capacity and support for the rescue operation.

The rescue is happening after SeaWorld, John G. Shedd Aquarium, and Georgia Aquarium requested emergency import authorization to rescue 28 of the beluga whales so the animals could receive medical treatment as soon as possible. The remaining two whales will be sent to Oceanogràfic Valencia in Spain. However, the Oceanarium in Valencia, Spain is still awaiting the necessary permits from the Spanish government.

The rescue is expected to start any day now as care teams arrive to check the whales’ health and begin preparing them for travel. Once the whales are cleared by veterinarians, they will be moved by aquarium experts to their new homes.

SeaWorld San Diego (SeaWorld of California) will be taking in three of the whales — 13-year-old Xavier, 9-year-old Cyprus and 9-year-old Jasper — who were all born at Marineland of Canada, according to the NOAA authorization.

The rescue is complex as it involves multiple governments, veterinary teams, animal care specialists and accredited marine life facilities. SeaWorld said, “The comfort and safety of the whales remains of the utmost importance.”

According to SeaWorld, the whales will be given specialized care, carefully managed diets, high-quality environments, guaranteed water quality and access to on-site medical teams once they arrive.

“Once the belugas are cleared for travel by Canadian veterinarians, aquarium experts will accompany the animals to their new homes, where they will be met with diverse seafood to meet their nutritional needs, high quality environments with guaranteed water quality and onsite medical care should they require it at any time,” SeaWorld said in a statement.

If the animal rescue organizations had not stepped in, Marineland of Canada said it would be unable to continue caring for the whales and would be forced to euthanize them, according to the NOAA authorization.

The park is in financial crisis and can no longer care for the animals, having been shut down for nearly two years now.

With no other option for the whales to go to in Canada, as the belugas cannot be transferred to another facility within Canada due to legal and regulatory constraints, they will now be brought to the U.S. and Spain, to accredited marine life parks and aquariums that have the resources to transport, hold and provide necessary medical care for them.

The large-scale rescue that includes several organizations is expected to take several weeks to complete.

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