Six beluga whales finally leave troubled Canadian marine park

The whales have been moved to aquariums in the US after a long situation where the park had talked about killing them.

Published 22 July 2026 177 words
WORLD A2
Six beluga whales finally leave troubled Canadian marine park

Six beluga whales have finally left Marineland, a troubled Canadian marine park. The park had previously said it might kill its animals. The whales are now arriving at aquariums in the United States this week.

This journey to the US is the end of a long and difficult time for the whales in captivity in Canada. However, animal helpers say that even though the new places are better than Marineland, there might still be problems.

Phil Demers, who used to train whales at Marineland, said he is happy for the animals but knows the fight for their better lives will continue for a long time. He hopes the US parks will take better care of the animals than in Canada.

Marineland was open for many years but closed to visitors in 2024. The park had many whales, but there were reports of bad conditions for the animals. Many whales died at the park between 2019 and now.

Fewer people visited the park, and bad news hurt its reputation. A new law in 2019 also made it harder for the park. The park tried to send its whales to China, but the government stopped it. Marineland then said it would kill its beluga whales if the government did not help them with money.

Last month, Canada and Marineland agreed to send the beluga whales to aquariums in the US and one in Spain. The whales were carefully lifted out of their tanks and taken to planes at the airport. Some whales arrived in Chicago and others in San Antonio.

Vocabulary

troubled — having problems or difficulties
captivity — the state of being kept in a place and not being able to leave
animal helpers — people who work to protect animals
conditions — the state of something or somewhere, especially regarding health and safety
reputation — what people think about someone or something
advocates — people who publicly support or recommend a particular cause or policy

Discussion Questions

  1. Why were the beluga whales moved from Marineland?
  2. What problems did the whales face at Marineland?
  3. What do animal advocates hope for the whales in their new homes?

Based on an article from The Guardian.

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