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July 22, 2026 / 5:17 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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Two beluga whales settled into their new home — a 2-million-gallon salt water pool — in Texas on Tuesday following an international relocation mission from a shuttered Canadian theme park.The whales, named Bertie Bott and Frankie, traveled more than 1,500 miles from Niagara Falls, Ontario, to SeaWorld San Antonio. The same trip also brought an additional four belugas to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The move was a culmination of nearly two years of international coordination, bringing six of an expected 28 whales to aquariums across the United States."I can't help but get just a big giant smile speaking about them," Steve Aible, SeaWorld San Antonio's vice president of zoological operations, told CBS News while standing in front of the pool temporarily housing the 1,200-pound animals.Aible was one of 10 caretakers who joined the whales on the journey from Marineland that included rides on flat-bed trucks and a cargo plane. "Who would ever think that you've got a chance to fly with a whale?" Aible said he recalled thinking while in the air. Veterinarians specializing in marine mammal medicine and animal care were also on board to constantly monitor the belugas' conditions throughout the trip.
