The two whales who died were found to have gastrointestinal problems, and all five transferred mammals had vision problems at Mystic, the U.S. The documents shed light on the health of the two whales that died, as well as the third whale that was ill. In the U.S., the Animal Welfare Institute sought to learn more about the transferred whales and obtained American and Canadian government documents and Mystic reports through freedom of information laws. Marineland has maintained it treats its animals very well. The now yearlong Marineland inspection remains ongoing, an Ontario government spokesman said Wednesday.

Marineland, in court documents last May, denied its animals were in distress. The week the whales were moved, Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services found all marine mammals at Marineland to be in distress due to poor water quality. “We believe our concerns were, most unfortunately, validated by the August 6 death of Havok, a young male beluga who was a substitute for original whale Frankie the serious illness of Jetta, reported on August 26, a young female beluga who was a substitute for original whale Qila and then the February 11 death of a second female beluga.” “While we advised against the issuance of this permit from the outset, our present concerns stem from Mystic’s need to replace three of the original whales proposed for importation with substitutes that Mystic stated would be healthy,” it wrote in a letter to the government. The advocacy group noted three Marineland whales originally set to be transferred were replaced months before the move due to health issues. review comes after the Animal Welfare Institute, an American advocacy group, asked the American government last week to investigate the transfer and treatment of the whales from Marineland. Mystic and Marineland did not respond to multiple written requests for comment. In Canada, the Fisheries Department said it approved permits for the whales after receiving an “attestation of good health for each beluga,” and is not reviewing the transfer. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,” Katie Wagner, a spokeswoman with the service, told The Canadian Press in a written statement. “The agency is reviewing the circumstances of the deaths of the imported beluga whales and is co-ordinating closely with the U.S. The deaths of the transferred whales are now under scrutiny by the U.S. and Canadian governments approved the move, which was allowed for research purposes. The mammals were among five beluga whales sent to Mystic in May 2021 after Marineland, a tourist attraction in Niagara Falls, Ont., sold them for an undisclosed price. Mystic, which announced the deaths after they occurred, said last month that a third whale from Marineland was in intensive care. Havok, a young male beluga, died at the aquarium last summer. Havana, a young female beluga, died last month at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. government is reviewing the deaths of two beluga whales that were moved from Marineland in Canada to an American aquarium last year.

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