Dolphin that was part of international effort to transfer beluga whales from Canada dies in Spain

Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune on Sep 24, 2026

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A dolphin that was part of an international rescue effort to transfer 30 whales and four dolphins from a Canadian marine park has died at an aquarium in Spain, according to a statement. Four beluga whales also have died since the moves began in July, including one at the Spanish facility and three at the Shedd Aquarium. A fifth beluga that had been living at the Shedd since 2014 also died in recent weeks.

Experts have said some of the whales were suffering from preexisting medical conditions. But advocates for animal well-being said the cetaceans’ transfers happened too quickly, potentially contributing to their deaths.

Staff at Oceanogràfic València in Valencia, Spain, transported Echo to a medical pool after the dolphin struggled to breath and swallow, according to a statement provided to the Tribune. She died overnight. Echo arrived from Canada with severe vision issues and other medical problems, the aquarium said.

The whales and dolphins were moved out of Marineland of Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario, after the facility’s owners threatened to euthanize the belugas if long-term solutions weren’t found, according to a previous Shedd news release.

The most recent beluga death was 26-year-old Osiris at the Shedd on Monday morning. Echo is the first dolphin to die.

Oceanogràfic València’s four remaining animals from Marineland — three dolphins and a beluga — are doing well and remain under professional care, according to the statement.

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