Xavier, Cyprus and Jasper have been inseparable for years.
When Marineland, the marine park in Ontario, Canada, closed its doors in 2024, the three male belugas were left homeless, along with 27 other whales at risk of being euthanized because no one could afford their care anymore. So, a group of aquariums in the United States and Spain put together an unusual operation: moving them all, little by little, to new sanctuaries.
This Saturday, the three arrived at SeaWorld San Diego after traveling more than 2,500 miles in a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 cargo plane, accompanied throughout the journey by veterinarians and specialists. They traveled together in cold-water tanks specially designed for them, because their caretakers knew that separating them would have been almost as cruel as leaving them behind. With their arrival, the total has reached 12 of the 16 rescued belugas expected to be relocated. Allua, Oliver and Klondike, three belugas who arrived earlier from the same park, were waiting for them in the Wild Arctic habitat.
