Credit: Marineland of CanadaAnother two whales have died at a controversial theme park already known for a concerningly high number of fatalities.
According to The Canadian Press, two beluga whales have passed away at Marineland of Canada this month, bringing the marine theme park’s whale death toll to 17 since 2019.
“The ministry has been made aware that two beluga whales at Marineland have passed away this March,” said Brent Ross – a spokesman for the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
While there’s currently no official confirmation as to how the whales died, a statement from Marineland claimed that “independent necropsies confirm the two belugas both died from torsion after valiant medical efforts to assist them.”
The statement continued: “All the whales are under constant weekly supervision and oversight by the government regulator and cared for daily by in-house vets and numerous external consultants. The reality is that all animals eventually die from one cause or another whether in the wild or captivity.”
This video was taken on Nov. 20th, 2023 above MarineLand of Canada’s Friendship Cove tank which holds captive beluga whales. One particular beluga appears to be lethargic and floating listlessly. 15+ whales have died at MarineLand since 2020. We will continue to monitor & report.
This video was taken on Nov. 20th, 2023 above MarineLand of Canada’s Friendship Cove tank which holds captive beluga whales. One particular beluga appears to be lethargic and floating listlessly. 15+ whales have died at MarineLand since 2020. We will continue to monitor & report. pic.twitter.com/3drrf0OmLO
— @UrgentSeas (@urgentseas) November 25, 2023
Marineland has made headlines multiple times in recent years for the deaths of its animal residents. The Canadian Press previously discovered that 16 beluga whales, two California sea lions, one killer whale, one bottlenose dolphin, one harbor seal, and one grey seal have died at Marineland in six years alone.
The park also sold five belugas to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, where three of the whales in question have also died during this timeframe. Mystic Aquarium has pinned their deaths on pre-existing conditions from their time at Marineland. The U.S. government has since launched an investigation into the deaths, which is still ongoing.
Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services has been investigating Marineland – which is located near Niagara Falls – since 2020 and has reportedly visited the park over 200 times during this period. It previously claimed that all of the park’s animals live in distress due to poor water quality in the park’s tanks, something Marineland has vehemently denied.
Marine animals aren’t the only animals making headlines at Marineland. The park was recently found guilty of animal cruelty due to the living conditions of its three young black bears, who shared a tight living space with minimal food and water and nowhere to climb. The park will be sentenced in August.
Marineland of Canada first opened in 1961. Earlier this week, rumors spread that the park – which was put up for sale in early 2023 – had laid off its employees and is on the brink of closure. The park has since denied these claims in a public statement. “Marineland is subject to all kinds of rumors started by people for their own reasons, some innocent, some not,” it said. “This is just another rumor. To be clear, Marineland is not closed.”
Regardless of its accuracy, the news sparked avid support from animal rights activists, fresh off the news that Miami Seaquarium – another marine park infamous for animal welfare controversies – has been evicted and ordered to close in April.
Do you support marine theme parks like Marineland? Let us know in the comments.