As veterinary professionals, we must be clear:
It is deeply concerning that Marineland has implied it could direct veterinarians to euthanize cetaceans in the absence of individual medical justification.
Euthanasia is a medical intervention, not an administrative tool.
It is governed by individualized clinical assessment, professional judgment, standards of care, and the best interests of the animal being—not by institutional convenience, financial pressure, or political leverage.
Veterinarians retain professional and ethical discretion in euthanasia decisions. But if staff were to be threatened to perform euthanasia by a site’s management, who protects them?
From a "Dying Park" to a "Living Rescue Mission”
Receiving institutions and new home sites are not merely endpoints; they are active partners in medical, social, and ethical decision-making.
We remember the 2021 transfer of five belugas from Marineland to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut (Hakai Magazine, 2021) —a 22-hour operation involving custom water-filled transport tanks, cranes, a C-130 cargo aircraft, police-escorted ground transport, and over 150 dedicated team members. Watch a portion of the 2021 transfer on the Mystic Aquarium’s YouTube channel.
After the 2021 transfer to the Mystic Aquarium, 3 belugas died despite fierce and extended care by the Mystic team. One of the belugas - Kharabali, was at the Aquatic Animal Study Center intensive care facility for at least 11 days before passing away surrounded by the staff that had been by her side throughout the ordeal. The psychological weight of a loss of an animal in their care on the Mystic team can not be exaggerated (Mystic Aquarium Facebook, 2023).
A coordinated relocation of 34 cetaceans is a complex logistical puzzle—requiring time, specialized infrastructure, veterinary oversight, and collective effort. There is no ethical or legal binary of “export or death.” A third option exists and remains lawful: enforced stewardship.
Marineland continues to be responsible for dignified, human, and fiscally-responsible lifetime care services for the animals whose lives they have exploited for decades.
Help Solve the Puzzle — Support the Rescuers
We are grateful to the receiving U.S. facilities—Shedd, Georgia, Mystic, and SeaWorld—who have stepped forward to engage in these critical rescue discussions.
It is important to note: these discussions are not yet final commitments. A conditional permit is not a guarantee of an animal’s health or their physiological ability to withstand the transfer.
The receiving sites are acutely aware that a rescue of this magnitude is a monumental undertaking. Success requires solving a complex series of "puzzle pieces" before a single animal is moved:
- Individual Veterinary Assessments: Determining age, health status, comorbidities and transport fitness
- Pod-Structure Analysis: Assessing social data to prevent “social fracture” and psychological distress
- Medical Stabilization: Providing preparatory care for existing conditions prior to the stress of travel.
- Infrastructure & Logistics: Custom transport tank fabrication, specialized aircraft and truck scheduling, and police-escorted transport.
- Regulatory & Biosafety: Navigating international import/export permits and cross-border quarantine protocols.
- Lifetime Care Services: Preparing receiving-site habitats, staffing along with continued funding for medical care for existing and developed-in-transit conditions
The receiving sites have pledged that their decisions will be rooted in science and remain focused on the individual physical and social needs of these animals. (Toronto City News, 2026)
To the Receiving Groups:
We support your commitment to science-based decision-making.
What do you need? How can the broader community support your logistical or medical needs for this rescue effort?
Use this form to submit your specific medical and logistical requirements:
Follow a Family
Did you see our last post on the Matriarch’s Secret and the biological trait shared only between humans and 5 species of whales? The social bonds between cetaceans are strong and important for pod and individual health throughout their long-lived lives.
Gemini, Acadia, Skyla, and Xena are the four female belugas currently at Marineland that have offspring at possible receiving sites - these mothers might have the opportunity to reunite with their offspring.
Check our Animal Tracker for names, ages, lineage information, and social bonding patterns.
Don’t Forget the Others
There are possibly up to 500+ terrestrial animals (deer and bears) still stranded at Marineland. They face the same neglectful care and crisis pressure as the whales but lack their charismatic media shield.
Their lives are part of this rescue, too.
Please share this post with your network so we can be prepared to support this rescue as the receiving sites let the community know what makes this rescue possible.
