Six of the 30 whales transferred out of the closed Marineland theme park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, have died, CBC News reports, raising questions about whether the moves were safe.
The latest death, of a beluga named Cyprus, was announced by SeaWorld San Diego. The animals were split this summer between Oceanogràfic València in Spain and four US facilities after Marineland said it could no longer care for them. The last whale left at the end of August.
Ottawa had blocked a plan to send the belugas to China in 2025. Marineland then warned they might have to be euthanised without federal help.
A Calgary Zoo veterinarian told CBC the whales were already chronically stressed and the moves were a last-ditch effort. Animal Justice says governments and the park failed to plan ahead, while Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the transfers were the best option available.
Source: CBC News
