Oceanografic Valencia says Echo, a blind Black Sea bottlenose dolphin transported from Marineland, died overnight after respiratory and swallowing problems.
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Echo, a blind Black Sea bottlenose dolphin shipped from the shuttered Marineland tourist attraction in Niagara Falls, Ont., has died in Spain, according to Oceanografic Valencia.
Oceanografic said in a statement that in recent hours Echo began experiencing difficulties swallowing and respiratory problems and was transferred to its medical pool. It said her condition deteriorated rapidly and that she passed away overnight despite care from the aquarium’s animal care and veterinary teams.
Oceanografic said Echo arrived at Oceanografic on Aug. 26, along with three other dolphins and two belugas, after a 19-hour voyage from Canada. It also said the aquarium is conducting necropsies on Echo and on both belugas that arrived with her, while pathology experts at CEU Cardenal Herrera University examine the animals to try to determine the cause of death.
The dolphin death marks the latest loss in the animal transfers that followed Marineland’s closure in 2024, when the park said it was running out of money and could no longer care for its whales. Marineland also said that without transfer, the animals would be euthanized, prompting a complex relocation effort during the summer.
Oceanografic noted that one of the belugas shipped with Echo, Jelly Bean, died last week. Oceanografic said the other four animals rescued from Canada are doing well and remain under care and monitoring.
Across the transfers, Oceanografic said four belugas and one dolphin have now died since Marineland shipped out 30 belugas and four dolphins over the summer, with the remaining animals moved to different facilities. It said three of the belugas died at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago along with one of Shedd’s resident belugas.
Marineland’s relocation was shaped by federal policy. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson blocked a deal Marineland had with Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China, saying sending the whales there would not be in the animals’ best interest. Thompson said China’s rules do not match Canada’s standards, with Canada banning whale and dolphin captivity in 2019 while grandfathering in existing animals held by Marineland.
In response to the federal decision, Marineland said it would euthanize the whales if it did not receive emergency funding. The broader transfer plan shifted to a consortium of American and Spanish aquariums, with the move beginning in mid-July and concluding by the end of August.
In the months leading up to transport, veterinarians from participating parks attended Marineland and cleared the animals for shipment, and Thompson signed off after receiving updated health information, Oceanografic said. Oceanografic said it is working to understand what contributed to the deaths as necropsies and pathology reviews are completed.
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