TORONTO—As Marineland reportedly readies to move six beluga whales to U.S. aquariums, Animal Justice, Canada’s leading national animal law organization, remains deeply concerned about Marineland’s continued lack of transparency and the risk that the whales could be used for breeding in the U.S.
“Marineland has never been honest with the public about the health of these sensitive, highly intelligent animals, and that pattern of secrecy hasn’t changed now that a handful of whales are finally being moved out,” said lawyer Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice.
“The only ’emergency’ is that Marineland manufactured a crisis of its own making and seems concerned only about offloading these whales as fast as possible, no matter how tragic the consequences may be.”
While U.S. officials have approved an emergency transfer of 28 of the whales, the health status of the animals is unknown. Records from the U.S. government suggest that Marineland cannot provide adequate care for the animals and that the whales are “health-compromised”.
Transport is extremely risky for belugas, particularly if they are in poor health. After Marineland exported five belugas to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut in 2021, the facility acknowledged that the animals had pre-existing health conditions. Three of the animals later died.
And because Marineland and the federal Fisheries Minister have refused to disclose information about the animals’ health, Animal Justice is fearful that if sick animals are exported, they could become seriously ill or even die as a result.
“The Shedd Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, SeaWorld, and Oceanogràfic València have all positioned themselves as partners in this ‘rescue.’ That partnership should come with a commitment to no breeding and pressure on Marineland to be transparent, to require independent health assessments for every whale, and to ensure no animal is killed simply because it’s inconvenient or unprofitable to keep them alive a little longer,” Ms. Labchuk said.
A truly independent evaluation would identify any whales who may be unfit for travel but could recover with time and proper care, allowing them a chance to go somewhere like the Whale Sanctuary Project being constructed in Nova Scotia, rather than being senselessly slaughtered.
“A company that owns land worth hundreds of millions of dollars could not credibly claim finances as a reason to kill whales rather than give them the time and care they need to travel safely,” Ms. Labchuk said.
Animal Justice is urging the federal and Ontario governments to ensure no beluga is killed for reasons of cost or convenience when other more compassionate options remain available.
The group is also urging Canada to ensure whales exported to the U.S. will not be used for breeding and to share those permit conditions with the public. Breeding would run contrary to the government’s own policy on when whale exports are permitted and to Canadian law, which bans breeding.
“This generation of whales was supposed to be the last to suffer in captivity in Canada, and without no-breeding guarantees, Canada will simply be perpetuating our whale jail problem outside our borders,” Ms. Labchuk said.
Contact:
Josh Lynn
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
Camille Labchuk
Executive Director
[email protected]