Captive Beluga Whales in the U.S. & Canada

Does anyone know any more information at this time?
Last I heard (yesterday and today) - government aid was refused at the federal level, and both provincial and federal governments keep passing it back and forth. ML is also taking with the provincial government.
There’s also been a pitch for a “125 acre sanctuary style habitat” + typical Niagara tourism elements (hotels, casinos, gaming, restaurants) on the property- but there’s some concerns since there needs to be a solution now.
Overall I’m pretty appalled with all sides; government, AR groups and ML upper management.
 
Aelita said:
Update:
Joint Statement from AZA and CAZA for Beluga Whale Actions

Joint CAZA & AZA statement. I presume based on this we’ll be seeing placements soon.
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Best news I have seen all week!

Would love to see my local Vancouver Aquarium take some of them in. The old Beluga pool was way too small, and now houses Stellar Sea Lions. However the former dolphin pool is impressively deep, and I imagine could work quite well. Doubtful considering they have sworn of keeping Cetaceans, however maybe just maybe the circumstances could compel them to make an exemption???
 
DelacoursLangur said:
Best news I have seen all week!

Would love to see my local Vancouver Aquarium take some of them in. The old Beluga pool was way too small, and now houses Stellar Sea Lions. However the former dolphin pool is impressively deep, and I imagine could work quite well. Doubtful considering they have sworn of keeping Cetaceans, however maybe just maybe the circumstances could compel them to make an exemption???
Click to expand...

Could Minnesota place some of these given they recently held Brookfield’s dolphins?
 
Interesting.
I’m seeing so many different reports via Reddit and Facebook.

It’s seems they’re going to try to split between Chimelong, Sanctuary and US parks?
 
Well the beluga whale sanctuary exists... we know their sea pen hasn't been successful so far but I'm curious if they can hold more whales in their indoor tank. I believe it isn't particularly large.
 
Wisp O' Mist said:
The sea pen can only hold ten Beluga, total.
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That and the fact that the current 2 whales have spent minimal time in the sea pen. And the indoor facility is not that large, so can it accommodate 10 whales? Probably but cramped and not likely much better a situation than Marineland.

The only viable option for this time sensitive situation is other accredited facilities that currently house (or possible some that previously housed) belugas. Of course I would favor US facilities, but ex-US may be needed as well. Sadly, this will likely stall out and winter weather will start to impact transfers soon as well. I hate to say it, but I imagine we will see more belugas and dolphins expire at Marineland before any transfers actually occur. And no one really even mentions the dolphins that are stuck there (not saying for this thread, as it is beluga in nature, but in general the dolphins are not even acknowledged).

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MidwestFan said:
Probably but cramped and not likely much better a situation than Marineland.
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The Beluga Sanctuary has its issues, but most have been out of their control and they've proven to be proactive in prioritising the welfare of their animals even when it loses them money and damages their reputation. If you think that is a "not much better" outcome for these whales compared to them literally just dying, then you need to do some soul searching as to why ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
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