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<\/p>\nMarineland, 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Marineland 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Given those conditions, Marineland said there is no facility capable of housing the whales and a suitable ocean “sanctuary” does not exist.<\/p>\n
In its letter, Marineland said it is in “a critical financial state,” is “fully indebted”\u00a0and does not have the resources to “provide adequate care for the whales.”<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Marineland said euthanizing the whales, which were born in captivity, will be “a direct consequence of the minister’s decision” to withhold export permits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WATCH | Marineland export permits denied:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feds deny Marineland\u2019s request to export belugas to theme park in China<\/p>\n
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has denied Marineland Canada’s request to export its 30 remaining beluga whales to a theme park in China. “To approve the request would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” DFO Minister Joanne Thompson said.<\/p>\n
A source working with Marineland on this file told CBC News what’s left of the company\u00a0is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy after one of its lenders pulled funding amid the uncertainty\u00a0over the export\u00a0permits.<\/p>\n
The whales are costly to maintain \u2014 this source pegged the cost of feeding and caring for them at $2 million a month \u2014 and there’s little cash\u00a0coming in since the long-running attraction closed its doors to the public last year.<\/p>\n
The facility has been the subject of controversy for years with animal rights activists and others vehemently\u00a0opposed to its practices.<\/p>\n
A federal law passed in 2019 that bans keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises for breeding or entertainment in Canada also stymied its business model.<\/p>\n
Under that law, 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 an animal in captivity elsewhere is found to be in its best interest.<\/p>\n
While Thompson decided against issuing one for the export to\u00a0Chimelong Ocean Kingdom,\u00a0a senior government official speaking to CBC News on background\u00a0Friday said the minister is not necessarily\u00a0against exporting the whales elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The minister will review any\u00a0new export requests as they come in and is open to approving them if they meet the strict standards set out under the Fisheries Act, the official said.<\/p>\n
As for the request for money from Ottawa to care for these whales, the\u00a0official alleged\u00a0Marineland has mismanaged its finances and did not properly plan for what could happen to their business after the captivity ban bill was passed.<\/p>\n
Animal welfare is generally provincial jurisdiction and the minister met with officials from Ontario Thursday to discuss a path forward, the government official said.<\/p>\n