Last week, the Niagara Falls Committee of Adjustments approved a request from Marineland to split up its property—despite lack of clarity about what this means for the dozens of marine animals still held captive at the facility.
Marineland was granted a temporary land severance, which would allow the park to divide its property into multiple smaller lots. Marineland claimed this was needed to secure short-term financing to provide immediate cash flow, with the intention of moving the animals. Marineland is up for sale, with many speculating that the land will be sold for real estate development.
Since 2019, 18 beluga whales have died at Marineland, along with solitary orca Kiska, plus one dolphin, and numerous seals and sea lions. While the park claims the loan will help fund the relocation of the surviving animals, there is still no information about where Marineland wants to send them. Marineland has ignored requests to send the whales to a sanctuary, and the animals are at risk of being sent to another subpar aquarium, or being transported while in poor health. It’s also not clear how Marineland will transfer the whales and dolphins, since it’s illegal under federal law to export whales and dolphins under most circumstances
If Marineland can’t pay back its loan, the lender could take large parts of its land. Yet there’s no guarantee that animals would be protected if the park fails to repay the loan. Instead, they could be left without proper care or a relocation plan.
Marineland has a long history of animal abuse, raising concerns that this deal isn’t in the best interest of the animals. This deal is more about offloading the park’s financial burdens than ensuring the animals’ well-being.
Authorities Continue to Allow Animals at Marineland to Suffer
Animal Justice lawyer Ben Delanghe spoke at the Committee meeting, and urged members to delay their decision until Marineland comes clean about its plans. Moving the whales would require federal permits, yet Marineland would not say if it had sought these permits or where the whales are to be sent. The park also failed to clarify how the proposed loan would actually cover the highly complex and costly process of relocation.
Despite these glaring gaps, the Committee approved the land severance, enabling Marineland to proceed with its financial restructuring without any obligation to ensure the animals’ relocation is legal, safe, or ethical. The Committee did prohibit Marineland from selling off individual lots of land directly, but it still allows the park to take out separate mortgages on different sections. This raises serious concerns that if Marineland fails to pay back its loans, the lender could seize and sell off the land in pieces—potentially dealing a significant blow to the city of Niagara Falls and leaving Marineland with even fewer resources to care for the animals it has abused for so many years.
The approval of this land severance is yet another example of authorities failing the whales and dolphins still confined at Marineland.
Continuing the Fight for the Animals at Marineland
Animal Justice will continue to push for transparency and demand that the animals are relocated to sanctuaries. After decades of confining majestic marine mammals in tiny tanks, funding their relocation to a sanctuary is the least that Marineland can do as reparations for the immense suffering these animals have endured.
It’s time for both provincial and federal governments to intervene and ensure that Marineland’s remaining animals are not forgotten in this financial shuffle. The public deserves answers—but more importantly, these animals deserve a future where their well-being is a priority, not an afterthought.
