An emergency rescue effort for a pod of beluga whales at Marineland in Canada has been approved by the US government.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) authorised the rescue plan, which involves SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, Shedd Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, Mystic Aquarium and Oceanogràfic Valencia.
In a joint statement, the participating institutions said: "NOAA joins Canadian authorities in recognizing a rescue, led by a collective of aquariums all accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), is in the best interest of the whales’ wellbeing."
A rescue effort for a pod of beluga whales at Marineland in Canada has been approved by the US government
The above institutions are collaborating to rescue the beluga whales remaining at Marineland and relocate them to AZA-accredited facilities with the expertise, veterinary resources and facilities to support the animals' wellbeing.
The first group of belugas is expected to arrive at SeaWorld San Antonio later this month, and the next at SeaWorld San Diego in August.
Before then, dedicated care staff from the aquariums and parks will assess the beluga whales' health and prepare them for travel.
The whales will be accompanied to their new homes by aquarium experts, where they will "be met with diverse seafood to meet their nutritional needs, high quality environments with guaranteed water quality and onsite medical care should they require it at any time", the statement said.
Whales to be prepared for travel
It added that Oceanografic Valencia is still waiting for the necessary permits from the Spanish government, and Mystic Aquarium is not taking in any animals but will provide additional capacity and support "for what will be a remarkably complex rescue operation".
"This collective of aquariums is well positioned for this extraordinary task, thanks to decades of beluga care experience and having collaborated on several successful beluga rescues in the past," the statement said.
The plan to export Marineland's beluga whales to new facilities was endorsed last month by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, a federal department of the Canadian government.
