Four whales rescued from a marine park in Ontario, Canada called Marineland that fell into financial crisis and closed to the public in 2024 - leaving the future of its 30 beluga whales in question - just moved to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
There was even talk of euthanizing them if new homes couldn't be found.
The new whales - named Rain, Secord, Peekachu and Caspian - range in age from 20 to 27 years old.
They'll join four other belugas already at Shedd Aquarium after being rescued from the park last month.
Several aquariums in the U.S. stepped up to help rescue the Marineland whales.
In a news release, the Shedd revealed that its animal care team "completed another safe, sound and successful rescue effort early Thursday morning," to rehome the belugas. It said the whales remain behind the scenes within Shedd’s 3-million-gallon Abbott Oceanarium and that they are out of the view of guests as they get settled in with their new home.
“At the heart of everything we do, animals come first,” said Charlie Jacobsma, director of animal behavior and training at Shedd Aquarium. “This is a big transition, so we are taking this process hour-by-hour and day-by-day, at the whales’ pace. Through our constant observations, we learn more about each individual, their personality and progress along the way.”
