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Two beluga whales settled into their caller location — a 2-million-gallon brackish h2o excavation — successful Texas connected Tuesday pursuing an planetary relocation ngo from a shuttered Canadian taxable park.
The whales, named Bertie Bott and Frankie, traveled much than 1,500 miles from Niagara Falls, Ontario, to SeaWorld San Antonio. The aforesaid travel besides brought an further four belugas to the Shedd Aquarium successful Chicago.
The determination was a culmination of astir 2 years of planetary coordination, bringing six of an expected 28 whales to aquariums crossed the United States.
"I can't assistance but get conscionable a large elephantine grin speaking astir them," Steve Aible, SeaWorld San Antonio's vice president of zoological operations, told CBS News portion lasting successful beforehand of the excavation temporarily lodging the 1,200-pound animals.
Aible was 1 of 10 caretakers who joined the whales connected the travel from Marineland that included rides connected flat-bed trucks and a cargo plane.
"Who would ever deliberation that you've got a accidental to alert with a whale?" Aible said helium recalled reasoning portion successful the air.
Veterinarians specializing successful marine mammal medicine and carnal attraction were besides connected committee to perpetually show the belugas' conditions passim the trip.
Marineland closed to the nationalist successful 2024 but has remained successful possession of the animals, which it says it lacks the resources to proceed caring for. Around a twelvemonth aft closing, the parkland said it would person nary prime but to euthanize the whales if a relocation program oregon further backing was not secured.
A Marineland poster astatine the now-closed entranceway of the parkland is seen done a fence, successful Niagara Falls, Canada, connected Nov. 13, 2025.
Daphné LEMELIN / AFP via Getty Images
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued relocation approvals successful July to guarantee the belugas person aesculapian attraction and attraction that is not different available, saying that "there are nary different facilities successful Canada that are capable to supply the whales husbandry oregon aesculapian care."
In San Antonio, Bertie and Frankie are exceeding their caretakers' expectations by exhibiting engaging behaviour and maintaining a dependable appetite.
"They're going to conscionable person a overmuch much dynamic and breathtaking situation here," Aible said of the 2 whales. "Not due to the fact that Marineland was doing thing incorrect oregon bad, but conscionable strictly due to the fact that Marineland had stopped functioning arsenic a moving taxable parkland and we are not."
Caretakers volition proceed performing accordant aesculapian assessments connected the animals earlier introducing them to the 8 belugas housed astatine the park.
Another 11 whales from Marineland are acceptable to travel to SeaWorld San Antonio, according to the park. The remaining whales volition question to aquariums successful Georgia, Chicago, San Diego and Spain.
"Tens of thousands of radical … are going to beryllium capable to bask these animals," Aible said. "And we can't hold to stock them with each the folks who travel done our gates."
In:
Inside the Canada-U.S. beluga whale transportation
Inside the transportation of beluga whales from a closed Canadian taxable parkland to U.S. aquariums
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