{"id":265336,"date":"2026-01-30T12:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T12:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/265336\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T12:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T12:15:11","slug":"advocates-fear-marineland-whales-dolphins-may-be-in-shows-or-bred-if-export-to-u-s-approved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/265336\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocates fear Marineland whales, dolphins may be in shows or bred if export to U.S. approved"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 5 minutes<\/p>\n

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Canadian Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson says Marineland\u2019s plan to ship 34 marine mammals to aquariums in the U.S. is \u201csolid,\u201d suggesting relocating belugas and dolphins from the shuttered Niagara Falls, Ont., amusement park is looking increasingly likely. <\/p>\n

But news earlier this week that Ottawa has given Marineland conditional approval<\/a> to relocate the animals isn’t sitting well with animal advocates, who worry they could be used for breeding and performances in their potential new homes.<\/p>\n

The relocation efforts include sending 30 belugas and four dolphins to \u201caccredited\u201d sites that have high standards for animal welfare, Thompson told CBC News on Tuesday in Ottawa.<\/p>\n

Aquariums considering acquiring the animals are Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut and a SeaWorld location. All four are recognized by Accredited Zoos and Aquariums<\/a> (AZA).<\/p>\n

Thompson cited two conditions that Marineland must meet in its efforts to get export approval.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne is that the health of the belugas and dolphins is assessed by accredited veterinarians, and also the transportation plan,” she said. “And then obviously once the belugas move, part of the accreditation of these sites is that those health supports are available.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce the conditions are satisfied, I think this is a solid plan to allow the animals to live their life in much more healthy conditions.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"marinelandA CBC News drone captured belugas interacting with staff at Marineland in July.<\/p>\n

(Patrick Morrell\/CBC )<\/p>\n

Twenty Marineland whales \u2014 one orca and 19 belugas \u2014 have died since 2019, according to The Canadian Press, based on internal records and official statements. The park closed to the public in late 2024 after years of controversy, with animal rights activists and others vehemently opposed to the living conditions and performances to which its animals were subject.<\/p>\n

A federal law passed in 2019 bans keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises for breeding or entertainment. Exporting these animals requires a special federal permit \u2014 something the fisheries minister can hand out if the animals are being used for scientific research or if keeping them in captivity elsewhere is found to be in their best interest.<\/p>\n

Marineland’s vast menagerie also includes several seals and sea lions, bears and deer.<\/p>\n

Conditions sought for any export permits<\/p>\n

As Ottawa looks into whether to grant Marineland export permits, Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice<\/a>, says it\u2019s crucial they come with stipulations that the mammals not be allowed to perform or be bred in their new homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best option for the whales is to go to a sanctuary rather than another exploitative aquarium where they can be used for entertainment,\u201d Labchuk told CBC News recently. \u201cThe second best option would probably be to go to U.S. aquariums, as long as there are strong conditions on any export permits that accord with Canadian law.\u201d<\/p>\n

There had been hopes the belugas would end up at a proposed whale sanctuary<\/a> in Wine Harbour, N.S. But construction has yet to begin and the project, announced five years ago, still requires several permits and fundraising to cover the $20-million cost.<\/p>\n

\"AAquatic mammals in Marineland tank are shown on May 19, 2023, in another drone image. (Patrick Morrell\/CBC)<\/p>\n

When asked about the possibility of the whales and dolphins performing at or being bred at new homes, Thompson did not answer the question. <\/p>\n

In a later email, a senior government source with knowledge of the matter said a transfer to the U.S. would mean the animals would fall under the laws in each state. Some states do allow breeding and performing. <\/p>\n

\u201cAny transfer would place the whales under U.S. legal requirements, with day-to-day care decisions made by the receiving facilities based on capacity and animal-care needs,\u201d said the source. \u201cIn an urgent rescue context, the minister has conditionally approved the export given the U.S. regulations in place, and the AZA accreditation of the facilities, as this provides a strong standard of oversight aligned with the animals\u2019 welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n

SeaWorld \u2014 which has U.S. locations in San Antonio, Texas, San Diego, Calif., and Orlando, Fla. \u2014 sells \u201cin-water interactions<\/a>\u201d with belugas and dolphins, among other creatures, and offers dolphin shows.<\/p>\n

Ex-Marineland trainer supports U.S. facilities <\/p>\n

Kristy Burgess, a former beluga trainer at Marineland, says she supports Marineland’s relocation plan, even though it represents \u201cthe end of an era\u201d where she may never see the animals she worked with again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an interview from Niagara Falls on Monday, Burgess said the U.S. \u201cfacilities proposed are beyond incredible,\u201d and she doesn\u2019t think the fisheries minister would allow the marine mammals to be moved without reasonable protections.<\/p>\n

\"AKristy Burgess, who worked at Marineland for three years, says a potential transfer to U.S. aquariums is the best hope for the animals she loves. (Submitted by Kristy Burgess)<\/p>\n

\u201cI also don’t believe that any of these facilities in their right mind are going to be breeding belugas …,\u201d said Burgess, who worked at the park from 2022 to 2025.<\/p>\n

The mammals have \u201cbest chance\u201d if they’re sent to the U.S., said Burgess, given Marineland\u2019s threats to euthanize them if efforts to relocate the whales aren’t approved by Jan. 30. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a non-concern for me, and I think activists need to step aside and let things happen, let these whales get to a new place, before they start worrying about all these hypothetical scenarios.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 5 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265337,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[85,46,141,386],"class_list":["post-265336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}