Final Warning: 30 Whales To Die At Theme Park Unless Government Acts Fast

One of Canada’s most polarizing attractions has issued a stark warning to the federal government. Marineland of Canada says it may be forced to euthanize its beluga whales if Ottawa does not approve their transfer abroad, escalating a long-running fight over the future of the controversial marine park.

The facility, based in Niagara Falls, Ontario, argues that its 30 beluga whales cannot remain onsite as it faces mounting debt and declining resources. Marineland’s amusement operations closed after its 2024 season, leaving only its marine animals behind. The park is now up for sale, with the fate of the whales at the center of an international standoff.

Canada’s Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson rejected Marineland’s request earlier this week, citing the 2019 law that bans using whales and dolphins for entertainment. Marineland filed the application in September, hoping to secure an exemption before its finances worsened. Without approval, the park claims, the belugas may not survive.

Marineland Issues A Grave Ultimatum

Marineland insists that relocation is the only option. It has identified Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China as the sole facility able to house the captive animals, stressing that no sanctuary has the capacity to accept such a large group. “Our only options at this point are to either relocate the whales or face the devastating decision of euthanasia,” the park wrote in a letter to government officials, reported by Global News.

The company says it is heavily indebted and running out of funds. It has asked Thompson to help find alternative placements if the Chinese transfer is denied, saying time is running short to secure the whales’ future.

Thompson’s rejection follows legal precedent, as the 2019 legislation was intended to end the exploitation of whales and dolphins in captivity. Opponents of the transfer argue that permitting the export would undermine the law’s intent and reopen the door to entertainment-driven captivity. Marineland counters that refusing the move risks the whales’ lives.

The park has already endured years of scrutiny. Nineteen belugas are thought to have died at Marineland since 2019, according to Ontario’s Solicitor General’s Office. Provincial inspectors have conducted more than 220 visits since 2020. The death of Kiska, Marineland’s final orca, in 2023 ended its killer whale program and reignited debate about the future of the park.

Tensions have at times turned confrontational. In 2022, Marineland barred a lawyer, a filmmaker, and a scientist from visiting its grounds. “The first thing that comes to mind is, ‘what are they hiding?’” said Miranda Desa, a lawyer with Last Chance for Animals, in an interview with CBC. “I assisted Last Chance for Animals in filing a complaint against Marineland just last fall.”

A coalition of animal welfare groups — including Toronto Zoo, World Animal Protection, Zoo Check Canada, the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation — has called for government seizure of the whales. “The Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act gives Ontario the authority to act now to support the animals, provide immediate care, and recover costs,” the group said. “The Government of Ontario must exercise these powers urgently, followed by the formal seizure of the animals in question.”

The conflict places lawmakers in a difficult position: uphold existing legislation and risk mass euthanasia, or permit the export and weaken Canada’s anti-captivity stance. For Marineland, the deadline appears to be drawing near. For activists, the case represents one of the clearest tests yet of how far the country is willing to go to protect whales in its care.

Did you ever visit Marineland?