SeaWorld San Antonio has welcomed seven more rescued beluga whales from a shuttered Canadian marine park, bringing the total number relocated to the park to nine as an international rescue continues.
The seven female belugas — Xena, Gemini, Skyla, Meeka, Eve, Neva and Calypso — arrived Tuesday after traveling nearly 2,000 miles by truck and cargo plane from Marineland of Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario. They join Frankie and Bertie Botts, the two male belugas that arrived in July as part of the rescue’s first transport.
The latest transfer is the largest single movement of beluga whales so far in the effort to relocate 30 whales from Marineland, which closed in 2024 and could no longer provide long-term care for them.
“Given this is the largest number of belugas being moved at one time, we are so happy that all went well and the second transport of this huge rescue effort is complete,” Steve Aibel, SeaWorld San Antonio’s vice president of animals and conservation, said in a statement.
The whales traveled in specialized, water-filled transport containers while veterinarians and animal care specialists monitored them throughout the nearly 2,000-mile journey.
The seven newly arrived females are being housed in a private habitat away from public view while animal care teams monitor their transition. SeaWorld said caretakers are allowing each whale to acclimate at her own pace, watching for signs the animals are eating normally, resting comfortably and beginning to interact with one another in their new environment.
Meanwhile, Frankie and Bertie Botts continue adjusting to life in San Antonio. The two rescued males arrived three weeks ago and are getting to know their trainers while slowly being introduced to the park’s resident beluga whales, SeaWorld said. During a media tour last week, trainers said the pair had exceeded expectations, eating within hours of arriving and quickly adapting to their new habitat. Visitors can already catch glimpses of the pair during behind-the-scenes tours of the beluga habitat, and SeaWorld expects to introduce them into the park’s primary viewing pool in the coming weeks.
So far, 13 whales have been relocated to other parks from Marineland, and additional rescues are expected, though officials have not announced when future transfers will occur or how many of the remaining whales could ultimately come to San Antonio.
