SeaWorld San Antonio is joining a last-minute international rescue mission to save 30 beluga whales facing euthanasia at a defunct marine park in Canada.
But not everyone’s happy about it.
Gearing up for a complex journey south, 13 of the 30 belugas will find a new home in the Alamo City. Even though SeaWorld officials said they’re up for the task, rescue would more than double the park’s current beluga population — a concern voiced by animal welfare advocates.
“We are proud to stand with our partners in this effort,” SeaWorld wrote in a July 6 statement on Facebook. “We know this rescue will take time. We know details may change as the process moves forward. But our commitment is clear. These whales need help and we are ready to help them.”
Though many have applauded the effort, some activists worry about the quality of life awaiting the whales and whether SeaWorld will use them for performances or breeding. PETA president Tracy Reiman is one such activist. While not ideal, Reiman told the Current that the move is one of only a few options available for the belugas.
“From one frying pan into another, quite frankly, but what choice is there?” Reiman asked in a statement provided to the Current. “Options for these 30 belugas were limited, making it crystal clear why seaside sanctuary efforts must be accelerated to give former marine park victims a refuge where they can dive deep, swim fast, and have some semblance of a natural life.”
It remains unclear if the whales will be used for entertainment or bred while in San Antonio, which animal welfare groups such as PETA overwhelmingly oppose.
SeaWorld didn’t respond to the Current’s questions about what the whales will be required to do, and some activists are demanding increased protections against these activities before allowing the whales to depart.
“This generation of whales must be the last generation to suffer in tanks. If the federal government approves their transport, it’s absolutely critical that these animals are protected from being subjected to breeding or forced to perform for entertainment — a requirement under Canadian law,” Camille Labchuk, executive director for the group Animal Justice, said in a statement.
How we got here
The fate of the 13 incoming belugas — one of the world’s largest captive populations of the species — has been in limbo for two years.
The whales have been living in pools of the shuttered theme park Marineland. The Ontario-based attraction closed in 2024 amid financial problems and accusations of inadequate animal care.
Since the closure, Marineland officials have struggled to care for the dozens of animals still in the park. In September 2025, Marineland signed an agreement with Chinese park Chimelong Ocean Kingdom to relocate the belugas, but the Canadian government nixed the plan over concerns about the animals’ welfare, The Guardian reports.
The situation came to a head in October when Marineland threatened to euthanize the remaining belugas if the Canadian government didn’t help with their care.
Now down to the wire, Canada, the U.S. and Spain agreed to team up to rescue and rehabilitate the whales. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) approved the effort under the Marine Mammal Protection Act on July 1, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC).
A whale-y long journey ahead
Of the 30 belugas involved in the rescue, 28 are destined for the U.S. with SeaWorld San Antonio set to receive 13.
Those 13 include seven born in captivity and six caught in Russian waters. The youngest beluga is six-year-old male Bertie Botts, while the oldest is Gemini, a wild-caught female estimated to be 31.
As for the others, three will go to SeaWorld San Diego, 10 to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and two to Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. The final two will head to Oceanogràfic València in Spain.
Before the whales begin their journey, however, Canadian officials and veterinarians will assess their health. SeaWorld will also send its own officials to evaluate the animals and prepare them for the journey.
“Once veterinarians determine the animals are cleared to move, aquarium experts will accompany them to their new homes,” SeaWorld wrote on Facebook.
Upon arrival, SeaWorld will provide the whales with specialized care, carefully managed diets, high-quality environments, and access to on-site medical teams, according to company officials.
“This is exactly why accredited marine life facilities matter,” the park added in its Facebook post.
The life awaiting belugas
SeaWorld San Antonio is one of only five major aquariums in the U.S. to house beluga whales, and it currently has eight in its care. The new Canadian additions will bring the total to 21 — a number that’s raised concerns among animal welfare advocates.
Critics question whether facilities such as SeaWorld have the capacity or policies in place to ensure adequate care for the additions.
In fact, six months back, Canada’s Fisheries Minister, Joanne Thompson, rejected an agreement with Chinese marine park, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom on animal welfare grounds similar to those now being raised about the SeaWorld plan. Thompson said she could not support the agreement with China as the belugas would be used for entertainment
“I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured,” Thompson said in a statement about the agreement with Chimelong. “To approve the request would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to public entertainment.”
Thompson’s reasoning seems to fly in the face of the current rescue plan that will send whales to amusement park-style aquariums in the U.S., like San Antonio’s SeaWorld. And while SeaWorld has in’t indicated what Marineland’s whales will do once at the park, if their treatment of current belugas is any indication, they could be forced to participate in performances, interactive experiences and potentially be bred.
Moreover, the track record of sending whales from Marineland to U.S. aquariums isn’t promising. In 2021, Marineland sent five belugas to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, but three of the animals ended up dead by the end of 2023, the Associated Press reports.
Animal rights groups on high alert
The uncertain future of Marineland’s belugas has led animal rights activists to demand the Canadian government include further protections in its agreement with the U.S. and Spain.
Animal Justice’s Labchuk told the CBC that Canadian federal approval of the whales’ transit must include protections against breeding or forced performance — prohibitions required under Canadian law.
“If the whales are bred by U.S. aquariums, Canada’s goal of ending whale captivity will be severely undermined as the offspring of the Marineland whales will be made to suffer the same miserable fate of their parents,” Labchuk said
Still, even animal rights activists recognize the move is an improvement from the belugas’ current dismal situation.
The Nova Scotia-based Whale Sanctuary Project said it reluctantly supports the relocation.
“While this is a sad outcome, it will at least be preferable to the crowded and grossly sub-par conditions to which the whales have been subject,” the organization wrote in a statement. “And the facilities to which they will be distributed will be under more pressure than was the case at Marineland to be transparent about their health and welfare.”
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