TIDEBREAKERS STATEMENT ON THE RECENT DEATHS OF CAPTIVE BELUGA WHALES, RAIN AND PEEKACHU

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — TideBreakers is deeply saddened by the death of two beluga whales, Rain and Peekachu, both recently transferred out of the closed theme park, Marineland, in Canada, to Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, in the U.S.

We don’t want to speculate about the exact cause of their deaths, instead we are calling for full transparency; including necropsy findings, veterinary records, and the pre-transport health assessments used to clear these whales for relocation from Canada to the US.

Were Rain and Peekachu well enough to be transported?

Our thoughts are with these beautiful animals, as well as the staff who cared for them over the years and who formed close bonds with them.

Losing animals that you have dedicated years of your life to caring for, is deeply painful, whether you believe in whale captivity or not. On the ground staff tried to make the lives of these captive whales better, even when they potentially had neither the resources they required or the backing they needed from the park’s owners.

Moving approximately 30 belugas whales in a short period of time was an extraordinarily complex operation. The speed of these relocations does raise serious questions.

Marineland, the site is now up for sale, after the owners had previously warned that euthanasia could become a viable possibility if homes were not found for these whales. Whales they bred and monetized for many years, appeared to be disposable.

TideBreakers has documented Marineland’s conditions for many years. Which is why we believe that some of these animals, like Rain and Peekachu, may have had pre-existing or compromised health conditions before they were moved.

Which is exactly why every whale was supposed to be medically assessed and cleared before they were transported – did this happen? If they were, these medical assessments should now be independently reviewed. If they did not happen, why not? Right now we simply do not know.

Investigators must also examine whether pathogens or illnesses may have been carried from Marineland into Shedd’s existing population. The remaining transferred belugas should now receive comprehensive veterinary examinations to determine whether these deaths are isolated or connected.

This moment is incredibly bittersweet.

The departure of the final whales from the closed down Marineland marks the end of whale and dolphin captivity in Canada. Which we applaud. But these whales deserved more after everything they had already endured.

What we need now for Rain and Peekachu and for all those who loved them, is transparency – what happened to them?

TideBreakers will continue to advocate for the wellbeing and care of all captive whales and dolphins.

“TideBreakers would like to see all whales and dolphins living free in the oceans, but sadly that is not a reality for most captive animals. Most of them were born in captivity and could not survive in the wild, ” said Marketa Schusterova. “We need real sanctuaries, where they can live in social groups, with constant care, and not forced to ‘perform’. Right now there are no whale sanctuaries with ocean-pen dwelling animals, and there are no orca sanctuaries either. Talk of a sanctuary in Nova Scotia is a red herring, sadly it does not exist.”

Marketa Schusterova
TideBreakers
+1 416-827-8617
wearetidebreakers@tidebreakers.org
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Beluga whales being transported out of the closed park, Marineland, in Canada

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