THE marine park threatening to kill 30 whales once housed the world’s loneliest whale and saw 18 belugas die in its captivity.
Marineland, in Niagara Falls is being investigated after reports of animal cruelty, poor living conditions, and multiple animal deaths.
APA beluga whale surfaces from a tank to be fed by an employee at Marineland[/caption]
SWNSMarineLand has been accused of animal cruelty[/caption]
Some 18 beluga whales, one killer whale and one dolphin have died at Marineland since late 2019.
And in 2021, it was announced that all marine mammals at the park were distressed as a result of inadequate living condition.
The park was later fined in August 2024 for keeping three black bears in cramped cages for months on end without adequate water, according to The New York Times.
It was also infamously home to the world’s loneliest whale, Kiska, who died aged 47 after living alone for decades in one of the park’s “torturous” tiny tanks.
Animal rights group PETA described Kiska as the “world’s loneliest orca” whose life was marked by “tragedy after tragedy” after all five of her calves died before they were seven years old.
Stark ultimatum
It comes as the park issued a stark ultimatum to the Canadian government saying it will forced to euthanize all of their whales if they aren’t given help to rehome them.
The owners reportedly warned it can no longer afford to pay for their feeding or care.
In a last-minute plea they also tried to send the belugas to China where they could be looked after.
But Canada’s country’s fisheries minister, Joanne Thompson, denied the request for a permit to export the belugas.
She said it would only cause “further exploitation” of the animals as they would likely be made to live in “tanks for entertainment”.
This prompted the park to impose a deadline on the government to either grant the permit or send them money to support the whales.
Melissa Matlow, a Toronto-based animal welfare activist, told the Times that the government’s decision was correct.
She said: “Threatening to kill all their animals if they don’t get emergency funding is just repugnant.
“We need to take comfort that this is the last generation of whales and dolphins that will ever have to suffer again in Canada.”
A letter sent on Friday saw Marineland say it is in “a critical financial state” and can no longer properly care for the whales, according to CBC.
If they hadn’t heard back then all 30 of the belugas would be euthanized, the letter warned.
The park said the animals’ demise would be “a direct consequence of the minister’s decision”.
The deadline to help out the cash-strapped sea life park ended Tuesday evening.
SWNSA dolphin jumps out of the water as it performs during a show at Marineland[/caption]
SWNSThe abandoned marine park in Marineland Antibes[/caption]
A line in the letter read: “If we do not receive a response by that date, we will have no choice to presume that the answers to our inquiries are negative.”
There has been no comment on if the government reached out to Marineland.
Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario province, says he is disappointed with the government’s decision.
He said: “We need a proper home for them, simple as that.
“We gotta [sic] save the whales.”
The park wants all of the 30 belugas to go to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, in China’s Guangdong province.
They believe it is now the “only viable option” after closing down last summer.
Marineland put itself up for sale in 2023 before officially locking its gates a year later when no buyer came forward.
AlamyAn employee trains an orca in a pool water of the Marineland[/caption]
APKiska, the last captive orca or killer whale in Canada, swims in her concrete tank in Niagara[/caption]