Mystic Aquarium gets 5 Beluga whales from Canada

Five Beluga whales from a zoo and amusement park in Canada arrived at Mystic Aquarium Friday following an arduous approval process on both sides of the U.S. border and overcoming legal challenges from environmental groups.

Government officials from Fisheries and Oceans Canada recently approved the export of the whales from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario to Mystic, which specializes in Beluga research.

This follows U.S. approval of the move last September.

Experts from both facilities met in Niagara Falls last Wednesday to examine the four female and one male Belugas, preparing to fly them to Connecticut over the weekend.

The whales are expected to spend a few weeks acclimating to their new environment in tanks separated by a gate from Mystic's three current resident Belugas — Kela, Juno and Natasha — before being fully integrated into the 750,000-gallon habitat.

Connecticut aquarium officials said the whales, which range in age from 7 to 12, were born in captivity and cannot be released into the ocean.  The new arrivals were previously held inside an overcrowded habitat with about 50 other whales.

They are expected to be at the center of important research designed to benefit Belugas in the wild.

(Image Credits: Associated Press)