Last captive dolphins leave Marineland as recently relocated beluga dies in Chicago

Last captive dolphins leave Marineland as recently relocated beluga dies in Chicago LIAM CASEY NIAGARA FALLS, ONT. THE CANADIAN PRESS PUBLISHED 4 HOURS AGO Open this photo in gallery: Dolphin 'Echo' is moved onto a truck via a sling at Marineland in Niagara Falls on Wednesday. CARLOS OSORIO/THE CANADIAN PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Canada’s last captive dolphins have left Marineland for a new home in Spain while a beluga recently relocated from the park has died in a Chicago aquarium. Trainers worked over several hours Wednesday morning at the shuttered theme park in Niagara Falls, Ont., to load four dolphins and two belugas into tanks on transport trucks that headed to Toronto Pearson International Airport for the journey to Oceanografic Valencia. Echo, Lida, Marina and Tsunami are the dolphins leaving Marineland on Wednesday, joined by belugas Cleopatra and Jelly Bean. Moving the animals into tanks went well, with no injuries reported. “The belugas got loaded very easily and very quickly and they were the last beluga females in captivity in Canada,” said Andrew Burns, Marineland’s adviser. “And then loading the dolphins went pretty smoothly.” Four more Marineland beluga whales arrive in Chicago as part of rescue plan But staff at both Marineland and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago were devastated over news of the death of Peekachu, a 23-year-old beluga that was shipped to the United States two weeks ago. “Peekachu passed away suddenly Tuesday evening after blood work indicated she was dehydrated and her care team attempted to provide supportive care and fluids,” Shedd spokesperson Johnny Ford wrote in an e-mail. “From the outset, we understood that each rescued whale would arrive with individual health needs and that a fuller picture of their health would emerge through continued assessment and care. We knew a loss was possible, even as our teams worked and hoped for a different outcome.” THE CANADIAN PRESS Shedd will perform a necropsy to try to better understand what happened and noted that Peekachu showed “early signs of progress as she settled in with the fellow rescued whales.” “Shedd remains guarded but hopeful concerning the condition of the additional rescued belugas, who are still being monitored around the clock,” the spokesperson said. The Chicago park has taken in eight of Marineland’s whales so far. Marineland said in…