Canada’s last prisoners will remain in Marinéland Park near Niagara Falls after the federal government denied the zoo’s request to ship 30 belugas to China.
The Canadian government will not grant export permits to send whales to the Chimeron Ocean Kingdom Aquarium, Fisheries Minister Joan Thompson said Wednesday. She said the decision was consistent with the 2019 law and would make it illegal to use whales and dolphins in entertainment shows or put them in captivity.
“All whales belong to the ocean, not to recreational tanks,” Thompson told Congressional Hill reporters Wednesday morning.
20 whales have died in Niagara Falls, Ontario, a tourist attraction at Niagara Falls, Ontario, since 2019, according to a database created by the Canadian press based on internal documents and official statements.
Thompson said there’s something going on next to the whales with Marineland.
Marineland said he was “deeply” disappointed by the federal government’s decision.
“After years of work to find our permanent home in Bergas, the humanitarian relocation to accredited facilities overseas was the only viable option to ensure that our beloved whales remained alive and that they received the care they deserved,” the company said in an email.
Marineland added, “We blame these spectacular animals for the uncertain future in closed facilities and are unable to pay for ongoing feeding and care.”
Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said he was disappointed that the federal government would not register for animal movements. “We need a proper home for them, and that’s easy,” he said. “We have to save the whales.”
Thompson said he agreed, “These whales deserve a good home, but not the Timeron Ocean Kingdom theme parks.”
“I have not conscientiously been able to approve exports for further exploitation of these whales. I welcome any export requests that are consistent with the Fisheries Act and review them promptly,” she added.
Marineland announced it was on sale in early 2023 and closed to the public at the end of summer 2024. It was not opened this year as it appears to be selling the park and sells a vast lot it owns near Horseshoe Falls. No sales have been announced yet.
The law banning whale prisoners did not apply to the existing prison population in Marinéland, but the park had to comply with another part of the law prohibiting breeding.
