Amid political turmoil and a grim fate, the remaining 30 belugas at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont., are stuck with limited relocation options.
The recently shuttered theme park and zoo revealed last week that the whales could face euthanasia after their export applications to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China were rejected by Ottawa.
Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson expressed worries that approving the export could lead to the whales being used for entertainment purposes. She mentioned being open to exploring alternative export requests and has been in discussions with a provincial counterpart for potential solutions.
Although export applications for whales fall under federal jurisdiction, the province is legally responsible for animal welfare.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called for a reconsideration of Thompson’s decision to aid in relocating the whales out of the country.
“They either grant a permit, and we find them a new home, or they don’t, and they figure out a solution,” Ford stated on Tuesday.
Expert Warns of Dire Fate for Whales in the Wild
Releasing the belugas into the wild would likely lead to their demise, according to Andrew Trites, the director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia.
Placing them in an unfamiliar environment could result in rejection by other animals, leading to potential starvation and isolation.
Some animal advocacy groups are advocating for a seaside sanctuary where the belugas could reside in a designated ocean area. However, such a sanctuary does not currently exist in North America.
Nonetheless, in Klettsvik Bay, Iceland, the British charity SEA LIFE Trust operates a sanctuary for belugas. The Beluga Whale Sanctuary aims to provide a safer and more natural habitat for up to 10 belugas.
The sanctuary received two female belugas, Little Grey and Little White, from an aquarium in Shanghai, China, in 2020.
Little Grey and Little White were introduced to the seaside sanctuary in Klettsvik Bay, Iceland, in 2020 after spending most of their time in an indoor pool.
However, since their relocation, the two belugas have spent over 90% of their time in a nearby indoor pool, mentioned Javier Almunia, a marine biologist and professor at the University of La Laguna in Spain.
In an interview with CBC, Almunia highlighted challenges such as an oil spill in 2022 that affected the bay and the belugas’ stress in an open-water environment.
“Everything has changed. The weather and temperature fluctuations are posing new challenges,”