Georgia Aquarium's beluga whales sent to Texas

By Howard Pousner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Because of construction noise from its dolphin exhibit expansion, the Georgia Aquarium has temporarily sent its three beluga whales packing.

Enlarge photo

Rich Addicks, AJC file Georgia Aquarium's beluga whales, females Maris and Natasha and male Nico, will stay in Texas during construction.

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To avoid the loudest part of the work, the whales were quietly shipped to Sea World San Antonio in Texas late Sunday in containers via Fed Ex. Safe in their new quarters, they are expected to return to Atlanta in December.

Aquarium spokeswoman Meghann Gibbons described the move as preventative.

The aquarium’s animal husbandry department has been monitoring the behavior and physiology of the belugas, which are extremely sensitive to sound, since construction began more than a year ago near their habitat in the Cold Water Quest gallery.

Data was collected before construction began, and more than 1,500 sound measurements have been taken since. Though there have been no significant behaviors indicating stress, aquarium officials decided to eliminate the risk altogether.

“Everyone is doing fine,” Gibbons said of females Maris and Natasha and male Nico, who are not on public view in Texas.

The aquarium has been extra cautious about the health of its beluga whales since two died there in 2007, Gasper due to bone disease and Marina from apparent complications of age.