The 30 beluga whales at Ontario’s Marineland Water Park have been in critical condition since the center was permanently closed in 2024. The facility, which has no spectators and is in debt, claims it doesn’t have the resources to maintain the animals and even threatened to euthanize their owners if the government doesn’t allow them to send whales to Chinese aquariums. China still allows cetaceans to be used in shows.
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Fisheries and Oceans Canada rejected the request in September, arguing that the relocation would mean “perpetuating the cruel treatment” the beluga whales had been subjected to, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais. Minister Joanne Thompson called on Marineland to present a new management plan, saying exports would only be allowed if there was a “direct benefit to the animals”.
The impasse reveals a legal vacuum in domestic whale protection. Canadian legislation from 2019 prohibits the capture and use of these animals in shows, but does not specify what to do with existing specimens after the facility closes.
Meanwhile, two other killer whales from the same group, living in Marineland in Antibes, France, are also awaiting their fate. Since the European Park was closed in January, the animals have been living in tanks without presentations. The situation has been classified by NGOs as a “limbo of silent suffering.”
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Males of this endangered species are around 43 years old.
Groups like World Animal Welfare and Animal Justice are advocating sending the beluga whales to a marine sanctuary in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, where they can live semi-freely. But the site can only accept eight to 10 animals and remains dependent on federal permits.
The park, on the other hand, objects to the project, arguing that the preserve does not provide environmental safety or economic stability. Marineland, which at its peak attracted 1.5 million tourists a year, has accumulated 20 reports of whale mistreatment and deaths since 2019.
Animal welfare experts say the beluga incident highlights the ethical dilemma of countries that ban animal confinement but do not offer real alternatives to animals already living in captivity.
-The threat of euthanasia for these beluga whales reveals the moral vacuum in Canada’s legal system, which still views these animals as property, said Manisha Dekka, a law professor at the University of Victoria.
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