A marine park in Canada has made an alarming announcement that they will euthanize 30 beluga whales if the government does not intervene.
Marineland, located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, shut its doors in 2024 after facing years of diminishing attendance and accusations of animal mistreatment, allegations that Marineland has consistently denied.
The park’s closure has left 30 beluga whales, a species frequently kept in captivity, with uncertain futures.
Following the park’s closure last year, Marineland formulated a plan to relocate the whales to a sea life center in China. However, these plans have been obstructed by the Canadian government.
Joanne Thompson, Canada’s fisheries minister, denied a permit for the animals’ export because the belugas would continue to live in captivity rather than being released into the wild.
The minister stated she “could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”
She further commented: “To approve the request would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to public entertainment.”
In response to the permit denial, Marineland issued a concerning threat and requested financial support from the government for the care and feeding of the animals.
They gave the government a deadline of October 7 to issue the permit, threatening to euthanize the whales if they could not be exported.
A letter from Marineland to the fisheries ministry stated: “If we do not receive a response by that date, we will have no choice but to presume that the answers to our inquiries are negative.”
The letter added that any outcome for the belugas would be “a direct consequence of the minister’s decision.”
Minister Thompson previously expressed her desire to see the whales housed in a sanctuary, suggesting a possible site in Nova Scotia.
However, Marineland rejected this idea, pointing to “serious environmental issues that remain unresolved, along with a total lack of proven financial viability” in a report about the Nova Scotia sanctuary.
Records from the Canadian Press reveal that 20 whales have died at Marineland since 2019, including 19 belugas and one orca.
Marineland previously informed The Guardian that the allegations of abuse stemming from animal deaths have been leveraged by animal rights organizations as “propaganda” for fundraising purposes.
Camille Labchuk, a lawyer and the executive director of Animal Justice, released a statement saying: “Marineland has spent decades profiting from keeping whales in miserable tanks, and is now sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property in Niagara Falls.
“Marineland has a moral obligation to fund the future care of these animals.”
UNILAD has reached out to Marineland for a comment.