Four more belugas arrive at Chicago aquarium from shuttered Canadian theme park

Four beluga whales arrived at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium on August 13, 2026, the second group transferred from Marineland, a shuttered theme park in Ontario near Niagara Falls. The whales, named Caspian, Peekachu, Rain and Secord, follow an initial group of four that arrived in July, bringing the total at Shedd to eight.

The transfers are part of a Canadian government-approved rescue plan to relocate all 30 remaining belugas and four dolphins from Marineland to five marine parks in the United States and Spain. The other destinations are Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld locations in San Antonio and San Diego, and Oceanografic Valencia.

Marineland announced it was for sale in early 2023 and closed to the public in late summer 2024. Provincial government data obtained through freedom-of-information requests indicate that 20 whales — 19 belugas and one killer whale — have died at the facility since 2019. Officials said the rescue plan may have prevented mass euthanasia of the remaining animals.

The international transports use custom-built slings and temperature-controlled containers. A team of experts from Shedd traveled to Canada months in advance to meet with Marineland caretakers and review years of health records for each whale.

"This is a very complex and unprecedented rescue effort. This has never been done before," said Charlie Jacobsma, Shedd's director of animal behavior and training. The new arrivals were first introduced to the aquarium's three resident belugas through gates to assess compatibility.

Jacobsma said the whales have begun trading "signs of affiliation" and vocalizations. "Belugas are very social animals," he said. "It was really special to be able to see some of our animals pairing up with these new animals."

Dr. Karisa Tang, Shedd's lead veterinarian, said the belugas are adjusting "day by day" under hourly monitoring of food intake, social interactions and behavioral indicators such as relaxed swimming. Caretakers also check for physical signs of soreness or bruising.

Tang described the belugas as having "great personalities" and expressive faces. "Every single day it is an absolute joy to work with belugas," she said. "There's something about them that seems magical."