Six beluga whales make successful journey by air from Canada to US

Six beluga whales have been transported from a closed marine park in Niagara Falls, Canada, to new homes in the United States.The whales were part of a pod of 30 belugas housed at Marineland, Ontario, which closed last year after decades of controversy and concerns about animal health and cruelty.Four beluga whales arrived safely at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium on Tuesday, local time, while two others were relocated to SeaWorld San Antonio in Texas.Earlier this year, several aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums were asked to help develop a rescue plan for the animals.Flying whalesThe belugas were transported in specialised containers. (Supplied: Shedd Aquarium/Heidi Zeiger)The six belugas travelled in specialised, temperature-controlled containers by truck and plane to their new homes.Veterinarians and animal care specialists accompanied the whales throughout the journey.Six beluga whales have been flown in specialised transport from a closed marine park in Canada to the US. (Supplied: Georgia Aquarium)Shedd Aquarium and SeaWorld San Antonio said teams were closely monitoring the belugas as they acclimatised, providing round-the-clock care and assessing their health.Additional transfers to Georgia Aquarium and SeaWorld San Diego in the US and Oceanografic Valencia in Spain are being planned.Vets and animal care specialists accompanied the whales throughout the journey. (Supplied: Shedd Aquarium/Heidi Zeiger)Karisa Tang, lead veterinarian at Shedd Aquarium, said it was a new chapter for the rescued belugas."Now that they are here, the full attention of our care and veterinary teams is on getting to know these whales and providing whatever supplemental support, care, treatment, nutrition and attention we can provide to help them acclimatise to their new environment," she said.Close bonds between belugasThe four belugas rehomed in Chicago were all female, specifically chosen to move together in a sub-pod, because of their pre-existing bonds with one another, Shedd Aquarium said.The rescued belugas were not able to be viewed by the public yet, Shedd Aquarium director of animal behaviour and training Charlie Jacobsma said.A sub-pod of four beluga whales was kept together because of their strong bond. (Supplied: Georgia Aquarium)"As with any of our animals, the best indicator of wellbeing is individual and social behaviour," he said."We are watching closely for the rescued belugas to eat a full diet, socialise with one another and investigate the habitat, which are encouraging signs of their progress."We are cautiously optimistic as we start to see some of those initial indicators, and our dedicated team will continue to monitor throughout this process to acclimatise the belugas to their new home, caretakers and pod."