Now Marineland, the notorious marine amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, is in existential financial peril. This ongoing financial crisis puts the lives of its last beluga whales in serious jeopardy. The park has appealed to the federal government for emergency funding to provide for the whales, which require specialized care. Without urgent monetary help, the park needs $650,000. These specialists might have to euthanize 30 belugas. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson has called Marineland’s request “inappropriate,” adding insult to an injury doggedly deep.
For over a year, Marineland has been negotiating a deal to ship all its remaining belugas to Chimelong, a marine park in China. Under this agreement, the future of the park could be rescued. It is very much in debt and quickly running out of cash to feed and care for its exotic sea creatures. That deal has yet to come to fruition, putting Marineland in a very vulnerable spot.
Those calls have taken on a more urgent tone. A long-proposed seaside sanctuary in Nova Scotia is still not up and running. Yet the project has been saddled with significant roadblocks. More than a hundred landowners have refused permission, which has effectively stopped any possible development on an alternative route that could save the whales. Unfortunately for Marineland, they are in a space with no feasible alternatives to relocating the belugas.
Minister Thompson has done the right thing by refusing to allow Marineland transport of the belugas to Chimelong. She argued that to do so would expose the whales to captivity and performance scenarios again. Her decision is in keeping with her administration’s success in passing legislation in 2019 to protect marine mammals.
“So frankly, for Marineland to immediately respond with a request for federal funding is inappropriate.” – Joanne Thompson
Marineland’s operations are under significant strain as it seeks an immediate injection of cash to sustain its care for the whales. The park’s growing fiscal challenges have sparked concern from animal welfare activists and everyday citizens. There are no other viable solutions on the horizon and the heat from both sides is increasing. Now the fate of these belugas hangs in the balance.
