SeaWorld is once again at the center of a fight over captive whales.
United Parks & Resorts operates SeaWorld locations in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio. For more than a decade, however, the brand has been tied to an escalating debate over whether whales and other marine mammals should remain in entertainment facilities.
Much of that criticism intensified after the documentary Blackfish (2013). The documentary examined the life of Tilikum and argued that captivity-related stress contributed to fatal attacks involving the orca, helping transform SeaWorld’s animal programs into an international controversy.
SeaWorld ended its orca breeding program in 2016, but campaigners continue to condemn its Orca Encounter presentations and the whales remaining at its U.S. parks. Recent flashpoints include Kamea’s death at SeaWorld San Antonio in 2025 and a 2024 trainer injury at SeaWorld Orlando.
Other marine parks have faced equally serious scrutiny. Miami Seaquarium closed following years of criticism over animal care, the condition of its facility and Tokitae’s cramped enclosure before her death. Gulf World Marine Park also drew backlash after several dolphins died within less than a year.
North of the U.S. border, another marine park crisis has been building for years. Marineland Canada closed to the public in 2024 after financial pressure, repeated animal welfare concerns and a string of whale deaths — leaving its remaining belugas without a secure long-term future.
A Race to Remove the Remaining Belugas
SeaWorld has now joined an international coalition attempting to rehome 30 beluga whales from the shuttered Ontario attraction.
The whales remain inside Marineland, which has said it can “no longer provide the long-term care these animals require” (via CBC). SeaWorld has described their circumstances as an “urgent animal welfare situation.”
Marineland previously warned that the belugas could face euthanasia unless another home was found.
SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld San Antonio will participate alongside Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, and Oceanogràfic in Valencia, Spain.
“SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld San Antonio are proud to join a coalition of AZA-accredited aquariums in a coordinated international effort to rescue and provide long-term care for 30 beluga whales,” SeaWorld said in a Facebook post.
The company said the relocation will require expertise spanning veterinary medicine, nutrition, habitat design and around-the-clock animal care. The participating U.S. facilities are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which evaluates institutions against its animal welfare and veterinary standards.
Shedd Aquarium said caring for belugas requires “decades of expertise, advanced veterinary care, rigorous animal wellbeing standards and a deep understanding of what these animals need to thrive.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has approved the emergency rescue under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The authorization allows 28 belugas to move to four U.S. facilities, while the other two are expected to relocate to Oceanogràfic València.
The transfers remain dependent on the animals passing health clearances in Canada. Under the plan, SeaWorld San Antonio would receive 13 whales, Shedd Aquarium would take 10, SeaWorld San Diego would receive three and Georgia Aquarium would take two.
Mystic Aquarium will not receive any whales but will provide expertise and additional support. The Connecticut facility previously took five belugas from Marineland in 2021. Three of those animals later died, adding another layer of scrutiny to the new operation.
Critics Demand Limits on Their New Lives
The proposed rescue has not ended criticism of how Canada handled the Marineland crisis.
Animal Justice said government officials allowed the whales’ future to depend on an emergency aquarium transfer instead of developing a suitable retirement plan that could move as many animals as possible to sanctuaries.
“Years of inaction by both the federal and Ontario governments combined with Marineland's own reprehensible neglect of these animals has led to this moment, which was in no way inevitable,” said Camille Labchuk, the organization’s executive director.
The organization is urging Canada’s federal government to attach conditions to any export permits preventing the whales from being bred or used in entertainment performances after leaving the country.
Whale breeding is banned under Canadian law. Animal Justice argues that transferring the animals to U.S. aquariums without breeding restrictions would undermine the policy behind Canada’s effort to end cetacean captivity.
“This generation of whales must be the last generation to suffer in tanks,” Labchuk said, adding that any export approval must protect the animals from breeding and entertainment performances.
Animal Justice also accused Marineland of failing to reserve sufficient funds for the whales’ long-term care despite profiting from their captivity for decades. It said money required for the emergency operation could instead have helped support the proposed Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia.
Finding another destination has already taken years. Marineland previously sought to transfer the belugas to China, but Canada’s fisheries minister blocked the proposal. The park later raised the possibility of euthanasia if officials and institutions could not agree on another solution.
The new coalition offers the belugas a route out of Marineland, but the transfer is not yet complete. Each whale must clear health checks before an international operation involving aircraft, specialist equipment, veterinary teams and several receiving facilities can proceed.
What do you think about SeaWorld's recent rescue effort?
