The Largest Beluga Whale Transport of All Time

n August of 2026, Georgia Aquarium welcomed two male beluga whales, Balor and Zephyr, into our care as part of a larger coordinated rescue effort out of Marineland of Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Over a period of 42 days, a cohort of AZA-accredited institutions and external logistics teams relocated thirty beluga whales from the shuttered park, which closed to the public in September of 2024. With no options for long-term care on site and dwindling resources, Marineland of Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada called upon AZA-accredited aquariums in early 2026 to help devise a plan for the whales. Through months of collaborative effort and strategic coordination, a rescue plan was designed. The AZA institutions involved in the planning and execution were Georgia Aquarium, Shedd Aquar