Marineland dolphin dies in Spain weeks after dramatic rescue

A dolphin rescued from the shuttered Marineland Canada theme park has died at an aquarium in Spain just weeks after completing a lengthy journey across the Atlantic.

Echo, a female Black Sea bottlenose dolphin believed to have been around 30 years old, died at Oceanogràfic València on Wednesday, September 23. Her death comes days after another Marineland animal, beluga whale Jelly Bean, also died at the Spanish aquarium.

Echo had serious health problems

Oceanogràfic said Echo arrived at the Valencia facility on August 26 after being transported from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, alongside three other dolphins and two beluga whales.

The 19-hour journey was part of a huge international relocation operation involving dozens of whales and dolphins from the Canadian attraction, which had closed to the public in 2024.

According to Oceanogràfic, Echo arrived with serious vision problems, including blindness, as well as other health issues that meant she required individualised care and close monitoring.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly during Wednesday after she developed difficulty swallowing and respiratory problems.

Veterinary staff moved her to the aquarium’s medical pool and provided treatment, but she died overnight.

The aquarium said Echo’s death was particularly difficult for its team because of the specialist care she had required since arriving in Spain.

Aquarium to investigate cause of death

The exact cause of Echo’s death has not yet been established.

Oceanogràfic said its veterinary team will carry out a necropsy, with pathology experts from CEU Cardenal Herrera University also involved in the investigation.

The facility is conducting a similar investigation following the death of Jelly Bean, the beluga that died suddenly on September 18.

Oceanogràfic said the other four animals transferred from Canada remain under the care of its professional veterinary and animal-care teams and are progressing favourably.

Growing number of deaths after Marineland closure

Echo’s death means five animals relocated from Marineland this summer have now died at their new facilities.

Four of the deaths involved beluga whales, while Echo is the only dolphin to have died following the transfers.

Three of the belugas died at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, while Jelly Bean died at Oceanogràfic in Valencia. Another beluga already living at Shedd also died, although it was not originally from Marineland.

The deaths have prompted questions about the health of the animals before they were transported.

Marineland had been closed since 2024 and warned last year that it could be forced to euthanise its remaining animals if they could not be relocated.

An international rescue operation was subsequently organised, with 28 belugas transferred to accredited aquariums in the United States and two sent to Oceanogràfic València. The four dolphins were also moved to Spain.

The animals had already faced years of health concerns at Marineland. CBS News reported that 20 whales, including 19 belugas, had died at the attraction since 2019, while inspectors had previously raised concerns about the animals’ welfare and water quality.

For now, Oceanogràfic’s investigations are expected to provide more information about what happened to Echo and Jelly Bean after their difficult relocations.