Marineland asks Canadian authorities for emergency money to feed whales — or euthanasia imminent

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Marineland park close to Niagara Falls requested the Canadian authorities on Friday for emergency funding to feed and take care of its whales, saying euthanasia is in any other case imminent.

Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson earlier this week denied Marineland’s request to export 30 belugas to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, an aquarium in China. Thompson stated then the choice is per a 2019 regulation making it unlawful to make use of whales and dolphins in leisure exhibits or preserve them in captivity.

The vacationer attraction says Chimelong was the one choice for the belugas as no sanctuary that might assist exists and there’s no different marine park with sufficient room.

Marineland, in a letter to the federal government, says it’s totally indebted and rapidly working out of cash, and has requested Thompson if she may also help discover one other place to ship the whales.

The park says the one choice is to relocate the whales or else it will likely be compelled to euthanize them.

Twenty whales — one killer whale and 19 belugas — have died on the park since 2019, based on a database created by The Canadian Press information company based mostly on inner data and official statements.

Thompson’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Marineland introduced it was on the market in early 2023 and closed to the general public in late summer season 2024. It didn’t open this yr because it seems to promote the park and the huge swath of land it owns close to Horseshoe Falls. No sale has but been introduced.

The regulation that banned whale captivity didn’t apply to the prevailing inhabitants of captive whales at Marineland, however the park needed to adjust to one other a part of the regulation that forbade breeding.