7 more beluga whales arrive in Texas as international relocation effort continues

SeaWorld San Antonio welcomed seven more beluga whales on Tuesday, the latest development in the international effort to relocate dozens of the mammals from a shuttered Canadian theme park.

The group of females – Xena, Gemini, Skyla, Meeka, Eve, Neva and Calypso – was the second to leave Marineland, and marked the largest beluga transfer ever completed in the United States.

“We are so happy that all went well and the second transport of this huge rescue effort is complete,” said Steve Aibel, SeaWorld San Antonio’s vice president of zoological operations.

The latest arrivals are acclimating to their new home in a private habitat away from public view, where caretakers are monitoring their health and behavior.

“They are receiving veterinary care, nutrition and attention as they acclimate to their new environment,” Aibel added.

Aibel was among the caretakers who joined the more than 1,200-pound animals on their journey from Marineland.

The trip required specialized, water-filled transport units and rides on flatbed trucks and a cargo plane.

The seven whales joined Frankie and Bertie Botts, who completed the same nearly 2,000-mile journey from Niagara Falls to San Antonio during the first relocation last month. Four other whales from that transport were brought to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

The two males are adjusting well, according to caretakers at SeaWorld, and are slowly being introduced to the existing whales at the park.

Marineland closed to the public in 2024 but has remained in possession of the animals, which it has said it lacks the resources to continue caring for. Around a year after closing, the park said it would have no choice but to euthanize them if a relocation plan or additional funding was not secured.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued relocation approvals in July to ensure the belugas receive medical treatment and care that is not otherwise available, saying that “there are no other facilities in Canada that are able to provide the whales husbandry or medical care.”

Seventeen whales remain at Marineland and are expected to be moved to aquariums in Georgia, Chicago, San Diego and Spain, though officials have not announced a timeline.