A number of the Russian whales came from a program of the Russian military where beluga whales were trained to place limpet mines under ships. When the Soviet Union collapsed, those whales were going to be turned into dog food. Instead, they were eventually transported to Canada and to Marineland. Their only hope for survival was in fact to go to Marineland.
With respect to the transport of whales, this is conducted under the care and oversight of highly qualified veterinarians who participated in the past under very careful conditions.