Beluga whale pair rescued from war-torn Ukraine recovering in Spain

In what may yet come to be considered the rescue of the year, Oceanografic de Valencia, Georgia Aquarium, and SeaWorld collaborated with Kharkiv’s NEMO Dolphinarium to carry out a heroic evacuation from the embattled industrial city in northeast Ukraine. Two beluga whales, Plombir and Miranda, were rescued from Kharkiv and transported to the Oceanografic aquarium in Valencia, Spain. The complex, high-risk operation was necessitated by the growing threat to the city from Russian artillery fire,...

Animal welfare group slams Marineland’s plan to continue whale display

Animal welfare group World Animal Protection Canada has slammed Ontario’s themed zoo and amusement park Marineland’s announcement that it would continue its display of beluga whales during the 2024 season while shutting down its other animal attractions. “Marineland is doubling down on its so-called ‘Friendship Cove’, which is nothing but a substandard venue for innocent beluga whales to be exploited for entertainment,” said Melissa Matlow, campaign director for World Animal Protection Canada. “Animal welfare groups...

Animal welfare group calls Ontario’s Marineland a death trap

Marineland, a themed zoo and amusement park at Niagara Falls in the Canadian province of Ontario, has become the site of more than a dozen deaths of precious marine animals, World Animal Protection said in a press release. The multinational non-governmental organization, which works to end animal suffering, has now initiated a drive to shut the place down. Melissa Matlow, campaign director, said, “Sixteen beluga whales and one orca [killer whale] have died at Marineland...