A sixth beluga rescued from Canada's shuttered Marineland dies, this time at SeaWorld San Diego
Mongabay walks through each death and why a marine mammal biologist says they were no surprise.
What happened: SeaWorld San Diego announced on Oct. 18 that Cyprus, a 9-year-old male beluga, had died after he stopped eating. An ultrasound showed his intestines were not working properly. He was one of 30 belugas moved in July and August from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which closed to the public in 2025. They went to SeaWorld parks, Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium and Oceanogràfic València in Spain. Six of the 30 have now died: four at Shedd, one in Valencia and Cyprus. A dolphin from Marineland also died in Valencia.
Why it matters: Canada banned keeping whales and dolphins for entertainment in 2019, and these were among the last held in the country.
How much agreement is there? Some disagreement. Naomi Rose of the Animal Welfare Institute says the deaths were expected given years of poor care, and that moving the whales was "the best of a bad job." Conservationists are using the deaths to call for an end to keeping cetaceans in captivity.
Could someone help? Seaside sanctuary projects for retired captive whales are being built and take donations and volunteers. Choosing not to pay for shows that use captive whales and dolphins is another option.
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Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act
After exploring Six beluga deaths cast a shadow over rescue from Canada's Marineland, the law that ended the business model is the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act.
Canada's 2019 law banning the capture and captivity of cetaceans, with a grandfather clause for animals already held when it came into force.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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Marineland of Canada
After exploring Six beluga deaths cast a shadow over rescue from Canada's Marineland, the history of the park itself is in Marineland of Canada.
The Niagara Falls theme park founded in 1961 by John Holer, which displayed dolphins, belugas, walruses and orcas and faced years of protests and lawsuits.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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