Georgia Aquarium is part of a consortium of Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited facilities rescuing the beluga whales at Marineland of Canada. Saving animals, anywhere, is at the core of who we are. Learn more and how you can be a champion for rescued animals.
Mission Critical: Rescuing Beluga Whales
The Story Behind the Headlines
On August 13, 2026, Georgia Aquarium welcomed two beluga whales from Marineland of Canada. Balor, a 10-year-old male, and Zephyr, a 7-year-old male, are settling in nicely to their new home. They will join our all-female beluga whale pod once our animal care and animal health teams feel it’s in their best interest. Until then, they will stay behind the scenes getting plenty of fish, care, and time to discover their new surroundings.
They are part of an international, multi-institutional rescue operation to safely rehome 30 beluga whales from Canada to accredited aquariums in the U.S. and Spain.
We are only receiving these two whales but the rescue operation continues – additional transports will go to Shedd Aquarium, SeaWorld San Antonio and San Diego, and Oceanografic Valencia in Spain. We are grateful for the partnership and teamwork to all achieve the same end—giving these belugas the opportunity to thrive.
To stay up-to-date on the rescue operation and Balor and Zephyr, make sure to follow Georgia Aquarium’s social channels and our website!
Why Georgia Aquarium?
No one is more suited or equipped to care for beluga whales than accredited aquariums. With decades of cetacean (whales and dolphins) experience in their health care, social dynamics, and physiology, rehoming the beluga whales to accredited aquariums is in their best interest. They will receive world-class health care, enriching interactions with their care team, specialized and individualized diets, and playful social groupings with the four other beluga whales at Georgia Aquarium.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about these whales. As our teams monitor them, we’ll learn more about the medical care they need and how we can tailor care to each individual animal. Some of these whales could be in need of long-term or critical care which we are prepared to provide.
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Be a Champion for Animals in Need
We are uniquely positioned to be able to answer the call for help when animals are in need and we've always put rescuing and rehabilitating animals at the forefront of our mission. Saving animals from circumstances like wildlife trafficking, strandings, or when they simply need additional care — is not easy. Many of these animals require long-term or critical care even after being rescued.
