Updates: Animal Justice urges police to intervene over Marineland beluga massacre threat and presents an action plan to governments to protect the whales, and whale sanctuary in Nova Scotia gets approval.
In a shocking and deeply disturbing move, Marineland has threatened to kill all 30 surviving belugas in its tanks unless the federal government funds their care.
This outrageous ultimatum comes just days after the federal government rightly rejected Marineland’s permit application to export the whales to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China, a country without animal welfare laws. Chimelong is a notorious marine park. There, some belugas are used for breeding and kept in indoor tanks. Others are forced to perform in shows—all activities that are illegal in Canada. Importantly, Canadian law requires any transfer to serve the animals’ best interests. Therefore, sending them to a facility built on cruelty and exploitation would clearly violate that standard.
Marineland Must be Held Accountable
Animal Justice applauds the government for refusing this harmful export. But now, instead of taking responsibility for the animals it exploited for decades, Marineland is holding a gun to the head of the belugas, using their lives as leverage, and trying to shift the blame for its own failures onto taxpayers.
It’s a morally reprehensible tactic. Marineland made millions by displaying whales and dolphins for entertainment, and its land is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Yet instead of investing in proper care, the company is threatening to kill the animals unless the public pays for its mistakes.
30 remaining Marineland belugas, currently at risk of euthanasia. Photos: Kristy Lynn Murphy
Marineland Belugas Deserve Safety & Sanctuary
The belugas have already endured too much. Since Canada banned whale and dolphin captivity in 2019, at least 20 whales and dolphins have died at Marineland, including Kiska, the last captive orca in the country. The survivors deserve safety, proper care, and a future free from suffering. They do not deserve a death sentence for Marineland’s financial convenience.
Governments must act now. Ontario has the clear legal authority to step in, provide care for the whales, and recover costs from Marineland once the property is sold. Meanwhile, independent experts must assess the whales’ health. The provincial and federal governments must relocate as many whales as possible to seaside sanctuaries, where they can finally live with dignity. The Whale Sanctuary Project, under development in Nova Scotia, could house many of the whales, but homes must be found for the rest.
Canada took a historic step to end whale and dolphin captivity, with the goal of protecting these majestic animals against a lifetime of suffering. We cannot allow Marineland to undermine that progress through threats and coercion.
