Canada aquarium that threatened to kill its whales wants to sell them to US | Canada

Marineland, the Canadian amusement park and aquarium that threatened to kill its captive whales, wants government permission to sell beluga whales in the United States after its proposed export to China was rejected, according to an official and a former trainer.

The former tourist attraction located near the famous Niagara Falls has been mired in controversy for years. Twenty animals, including 19 belugas, have died in the park since 2019, according to a count by the Canadian Press.

Marineland, which is closed to visitors and wants to sell its land, shocked the public last year – after its Chinese proposal was rejected – by claiming it lacked the resources to care for its 30 whales and risked euthanizing them.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Fisheries, Ira Khedkar, told AFP on Thursday that Marineland representatives had met with the government on Wednesday.

“The minister [Joanne Thompson] was presented with new applications for export permits. The minister will review them promptly,” Khedkar said.

Phil Demers, a former trainer turned whistleblower at the reportedly bankrupt Marineland, told AFP the park wanted to sell the belugas to several institutions in the United States.

The Canadian Press also reported Thursday that Marineland wanted to sell the animals to a series of U.S. parks.

Marineland did not immediately respond to a question about a CP report that the park had prepared a euthanasia plan and intended to kill its whales if its U.S. export proposal was rejected.

Thompson said she rejected Marineland’s request to sell the whales to the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom theme park in China in 2025 because it would have perpetuated exploitation of the whales.

The ministry did not comment on the details of Marineland’s latest proposal.

Marineland said all beluga deaths in the park were due to natural causes, but animal welfare officials in the province of Ontario have been investigating the park for five years.