- Published
Tofino approached each of his handlers in turn as they knelt in shallow water and stroked his sides.
asserted
they → publish → sides
Shortly after, a crane hoisted the more than 1,500kg beluga whale into a lorry to be shipped out of Canada to his new home, SeaWorld San Antonio - the last of 30 belugas and four dolphins to leave Marineland, a shuttered sea park near Niagara Falls.
asserted
crane → hoist → Falls
Marineland needed to find a new home for its whales.
asserted
Marineland → need → whales
But when the Canadian government rejected its plan to sell them to China over concerns about animal welfare, the park's operations said they would have to be euthanised.
asserted
they → reject → welfare
That spurred an international rescue operation by several aquariums, leading to the largest ever transfer of captive whales this summer.
asserted
That → spur → whales
But hopes that the animals were headed to a better life have been dampened by a number of deaths in the group.
asserted
animals → head → group
Photographer Carlos Osorio documented the move, which involved whales being flown to Chicago, Atlanta, San Diego, San Antonio, and even Valencia, Spain.
asserted
whales → document → Chicago
Osorio recalls watching footage from a drone overhead as Tofino appeared to say his own goodbyes.
asserted
Tofino → recall → goodbyes
The country banned cetacean captivity and breeding seven years ago, and Osorio felt the weight of the moment.
asserted
Osorio → ban → moment
"This is the last one to happen, and it's never going to happen again," he says.
asserted
he → happen → ?
Despite the rescue operation, tragically, five of the belugas have since died, as well as one dolphin.
asserted
five → die → belugas
Chicago's Shedd Aquarium has seen the most deaths.
asserted
Aquarium → see → deaths
Peekachu, 23, Rain, 20, Orisis, 26, and Caspian, 27, were all transferred from Marineland, while longtime Shedd resident Beethoven, 34, also died after eight Marineland belugas were brought there over the summer.
asserted
belugas → transfer → summer
Necropsies found chronic inflammatory disease in the gastrointestinal systems in Peekachu and Rain.
asserted
Necropsies → find → Peekachu
Foreign objects were also discovered in their stomachs, including feathers, large rocks and flecks that appear to be paint – objects Shedd believes were ingested before they were moved to Chicago.
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they → discover → Chicago
Osiris's preliminary examination identified chronic liver disease.
asserted
examination → identify → disease
Europe's largest aquarium, Oceanogràfic València in Spain, recorded the death of one beluga, Jelly Bean, and one dolphin, Echo.
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aquarium → record → beluga
The dolphin arrived with "serious vision problems" and other health issues, it said, and "began having difficulties swallowing and respiratory problems" in the hours before she died.
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she → arrive → hours
Experts say it is too early to judge the outcome of the transfers, especially considering the whales were facing euthanasia and had been living in an ageing facility.
asserted
whales → say → facility
According to a tally by the Canadian Press, about 20 whales died at Marineland between 2019 and September 2025.
uncertain
whales → accord → 2019
Once the country's most popular amusement park, Marineland closed in 2024 after years of animal welfare concerns and financial woes, and following the death of its longtime owner.
asserted
Marineland → close → owner
Public attitudes towards keeping whales in captivity have also changed drastically since Marineland opened in 1961.
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Marineland → keep → 1961
Like Canada, more countries are moving to ban or restrict the practice, including France and Mexico.
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countries → move → France
Melissa Matlow, a spokeswoman for World Animal Protection Canada, says that worldwide there are about 3,600 captive cetaceans – a group of marine mammals which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.
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which → say → whales
Matlow says that leaves a "growing animal welfare crisis on our hands".
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that → say → hands
Still, her organisation had concerns about the relocation of the Marineland whales.
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organisation → have → whales
"If an animal was not healthy enough to withstand the stress of transport, it should not have been transported," she said in a statement.
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she → withstand → statement
In early October, Shedd said it knew some of the Marineland belugas "could have substantial, longstanding medical needs".
uncertain
some → say → needs
Assessments before the move "informed our planning but could not reveal every underlying condition or predict how each whale would respond to the transition.
uncertain
whale → inform → transition
The rescue offered a path to continued, specialised care".
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rescue → offer → care
They said the remaining rescued belugas show positive signs, including eating well.
asserted
belugas → say → signs
World Animal Protection Canada had suggested two alternatives: repurpose Marineland into a hospice-style facility for the remaining captive whales and dolphins, or fast-track development of a proposed seaside sanctuary in Nova Scotia, the Whale Sanctuary Project.
uncertain
Canada → suggest → Scotia
As they can't be released, "the next best thing we could do is provide sanctuary for them, where they can at least live in the ocean, and they can have back their autonomy", says Lori Marino, a neuroscientist behind the Whale Sanctuary Project, which she hopes could eventually house about 12 to 15 whales.
uncertain
she → release → whales
"I look at it as an exit ramp," she adds.
asserted
she → look → ramp
The project was initiated a decade ago, she said, but construction only began in the last two months.
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construction → initiate → months
Fundraising is continuing and needs an additional C$6m ($4.2m; £3.1m).
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Fundraising → continue → 6
But offshore sanctuaries have yet to be proven a successful solution for retiring performing whales.
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sanctuaries → have → whales
One offshore facility for belugas is being created in Iceland, but in July organisers determined that more work was needed, and delayed the introduction of two whales until next summer.
asserted
work → create → summer
"They are kind of more theoretical and aspirational at this point," says Michael Weiss, research director at the Center for Whale Research in Washington state, who adds that they would definitely "improve the welfare of the animals" compared to concrete tanks.
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they → say → tanks
"It's a very old idea," he says, noting that net pens have been used to rehabilitate injured wild whales, or temporarily used while re-introducing captured orcas back into the wild.
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pens → say → wild
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
