Marineland says it needs money from Ottawa or its belugas will be euthanized

Marineland, the defunct amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ont., says it is rapidly running out of money and urgently needs financial support from the federal government or it will have no choice but to euthanize the 30 beluga whales it still has in its possession.

The plea, in a letter sent Friday by the company to federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson and obtained by CBC News, comes days after the minister denied Marineland’s request for export permits.

Marlineland planned to send the whales to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a theme park in China, but Thompson said she did not want to see the whales kept in captivity or used for entertainment purposes.

In an interview with CBC News this week, Thompson said she visited the facility and “looked the belugas in the eyes” and felt they belonged in the ocean.

Given those conditions, Marineland said there is no facility capable of housing the whales and a suitable ocean “sanctuary” does not exist.

In its letter, Marineland said it is in “a critical financial state,” is “fully indebted” and does not have the resources to “provide adequate care for the whales.”

If the federal government does not come through with some money or authorize the whales’ export by Oct. 7, Marineland said it will “face the devastating decision of euthanasia.”

“The gravity of the funding crisis at Marineland cannot be overstated; any further delay jeopardizes the welfare and security of the whales, and we fear we are running out of time to act,” the letter says.

Marineland said euthanizing the whales, which were born in captivity, will be “a direct consequence of the minister’s decision” to withhold export permits.