A victory for animal welfare: Canadian government has officially denied Marineland Vancouver a request to export 30 Beluga whales to a theme park in China

 

UPDATE: In a significant victory for animal welfare, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has officially denied Marineland’s request to export 30 beluga whales to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a large aquarium and theme park in China.

https://www.chimelong.com/zh/ Theme park in China

DFO Minister Joanne Thompson confirmed the decision, stating she could not “in good conscience” approve the export. She emphasized that allowing the transfer would have meant condemning these whales to continued captivity and public entertainment, a direct contradiction of Canada’s values and marine mammal protection laws.

Under the 2019 Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, it is illegal to breed or use whales, dolphins, and porpoises for entertainment in Canada. Exporting these animals now requires a special federal permit, which was rightfully denied.

We are relieved that these intelligent, social animals will not be sent overseas to suffer further exploitation. But the fight is not over. Canada must now take the next step by supporting the creation of sea sanctuaries where these whales can live out the rest of their lives in a more natural and peaceful environment.

This decision marks a hopeful milestone, but true progress will come when these animals are granted the retirement they deserve.

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September 9th: In a deeply disturbing move, Marineland Canada has applied for permits to export its remaining 30 beluga whales to a theme park in China. These whales are sentient, intelligent beings who have already endured years of confinement, and are now facing the terrifying possibility of being shipped halfway across the world to spend the rest of their lives in tanks, far from the cold North Atlantic waters where they belong.

Animal welfare organizations are justifiably outraged. This is not merely a relocation, but a violation of public trust, a rejection of scientific knowledge, and a betrayal of these beluga whales.

Beluga whales are highly intelligent creatures, capable of forming deep familial bonds, navigating vast ocean distances, and communicating through complex vocalizations. Confining them to concrete tanks is not only unethical, it’s torture. Now they will be sent to a country where there are virtually no enforceable animal welfare laws.

”We’ve long known MarineLand was intent on sending the whales to China but there’s no tank space yet at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom – which means the whales are forced to remain in awful and deteriorating conditions while Andrew Burns (MarineLand’s lawyer) seeks top dollar instead of prioritizing their welfares. Those animals need to be moved asap into better conditions or more will die. Sadly, there are no current sanctuaries to send them to so they’ll have to go to other facilities. Better and ASAP,” Phil Demers, Director of UrgentSeas, told WAN.

Once the whales are shipped overseas, Canada will have no control over their treatment, health, or survival. They could be forced to perform daily and condemned to a life of permanent captivity for entertainment.

The answer isn’t more concrete tanks, it’s sea sanctuaries, safe ocean havens where once-captive marine mammals can spend the rest of their lives with freedom, dignity, and room to live.

Canada’s 2019 ban on the captivity of whales and dolphins was a landmark achievement. Yet permitting this export would undermine that progress, signaling that financial interests take precedence over compassion.

For these belugas, every day in a tank is a day of suffering. But their story isn’t over. Their future can be one of hope, where they are given freedom instead of being forced to perform for entertainment.

The answer is clear: stop the export and build a sanctuary.

TAKE ACTION! Tell the Canadian government to protect these beluga whales from dangerous transfers by signing Animal Justice’s petition HERE!

Noodsituatie: Vier maanden na sluiting het Franse Marineland zwemmen 2 orka's en 12 dolfijnen doelloos rond in met algen bedekt aquarium

Dear readers. I am extremely worried about this situation. Articles in media online mention the 2 orcas but not the 12 Dolphins as if they don't matter. I have no idea who is feeding the animals. As soon as I know more I will write an update. Kind Regards, Erna

Het Franse Marineland was ooit het belangrijkste dolfinarium van Europa, maar werd op 5 januari definitief gesloten. Dronebeelden tonen hoe de achtergebleven bewoners, twee orka’s en twaalf dolfijnen, in erbarmelijke toestanden rondzwemmen.

In 1970 opende Marineland in Antibes, nabij Cannes in het Franse departement Alpes-Maritimes. Marineland bood onderdak aan verschillende dieren, zoals orka’s, dolfijnen, zeeleeuwen, haaien en andere zeedieren. Het was dan ook een belangrijke trekpleister voor de regio. Ondanks de prominente positie van het park zag Marineland de bezoekersaantallen sinds 2015 fors slinken: van ruim 1,2 miljoen bezoekers per jaar naar slechts 400.000. Het park sloot op 5 januari definitief de deuren, door een nieuwe Franse wet die het verbiedt om vanaf 2026 shows met walvisachtigen te geven.

Luchtzicht.  © Anadolu via Getty Images

Vier maanden na de sluiting zwemmen er wel nog steeds veertien dieren in het park: orka Wikie (23) en haar zoon Keijo (11), samen met twaalf dolfijnen. In februari werd nochtans een verzoek ingediend om de zeezoogdieren over te brengen naar Loro Parque en het Aquarium van Madrid, twee Spaanse dolfinaria. Maar op 10 april weigerde de Spaanse wetenschappelijke autoriteit onverwacht de overplaatsing: “De faciliteiten van de aquaria voldoen niet aan de minimumeisen wat betreft oppervlakte, volume en diepte om exemplaren als deze in optimale omstandigheden te huisvesten.” Een overplaatsing naar Japan werd dan weer zwaar bekritiseerd door dierenrechtengroepen en is inmiddels ook afgekeurd door Frans minister van Ecologie Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

“Het gaat hier om een noodsituatie”, schrijft Marketa Schusternova van dierenactivistengroep TideBreakers. www.tidebreakers.org 

De dierenactivisten gaf dronebeelden vrij waarop te zien is hoe de orka’s doelloos rondzwemmen in het verlaten park en dolfijnen in een met algen bedekt bassin wonen. “Dit vereist wereldwijde aandacht. Het zijn de laatste orka’s die nog in gevangenschap zitten in Frankrijk en ze moeten snel worden verplaatst. De huidige omstandigheden vormen een groot risico voor hun gezondheid en veiligheid.”

Het (nu ook gesloten) hotel. © Anadolu via Getty Images

Lori Marino, voorzitter van The Whale Sanctuary Project, zegt tegen de BBC dat “een opvangcentrum in het Canadese Nova Scotia de enige overgebleven optie voor de dieren is.” Rehabilitatie in het wild is geen mogelijkheid: beide orka’s zijn in gevangenschap geboren en zouden niet overleven in het wild.

“Nadat ze het publiek jarenlang hebben vermaakt, zijn we het hen verplicht om hen een schone en veilige omgeving te bieden waar ze de rest van hun leven kunnen doorbrengen”, stelt Schusternova. Frans minister Pannier-Runacher is echter op zoek naar een Europees reservaat, omdat de lange reis naar Canada te zwaar zou zijn voor de zeedieren.

Tot er een beslissing is genomen, blijven Wikie, Keijo en de dolfijnen in Marineland zwemmen, niet wetende waar hun volgende thuis zal zijn.

The 18th Beluga Whale Death At Marineland Canada: Belugas swim long distances in the wild no wonder so many die in captivity: End this cruelty !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beluga_whale  Information about Belugas

We are deeply saddened to report that another beluga whale, named Eos, has tragically died at Marineland. At just seven years old, Eos was euthanized after a prolonged battle with multiple medical conditions. The province’s Animal Welfare Services team confirmed her death on Thursday.

Eos’ passing marks the 18th beluga to die at the Niagara Falls, Ontario, entertainment attraction since 2019. Additionally, three other belugas sold to a Connecticut aquarium in 2021 have also died, underscoring a growing pattern of loss at this facility.

The repeated deaths of these sentient species reveal the dire consequences of keeping cetaceans in captivity. These creatures are not meant for confinement in small tanks. In the wild, they can travel thousands of miles across our oceans, yet in captivity, they are forced to swim in cramped enclosures for their entire lives—without the freedom to engage in their natural behaviors or form meaningful social bonds. Such confinement leads to both physical and psychological distress, which can result in serious health issues, as seen in the tragic deaths of beluga whales at Marineland.

“What’s happening now at MarineLand is exactly what we forewarned would happen when we first spoke out in 2012. It’s sad to see that not enough is being done to stop it. The fight continues,” Phil Demers, co-founder of UrgentSeas, told WAN.

In 2023, Canada’s last remaining killer whale in captivity, Kiska, passed away after years of isolation and deteriorating health. Over the past five years, other animals, including one dolphin, two sea lions, and two Magellanic penguins, have also died at the park. The heartbreaking question remains, how many more animals must suffer before we say enough is enough?

Eos was diagnosed with renal disease in 2021 and had been battling infections that required intensive treatment. Despite several recoveries, her health declined in recent months, leading to the decision to euthanize her. This is not an isolated tragedy—this is the reality faced by marine mammals in captivity.

These intelligent, social animals are denied their natural environment, which is essential for their physical and mental well-being. The relentless stress of captivity often results in premature death for most cetaceans held in captivity.

It is time to put an end to this cruelty worldwide and ensure that no more cetaceans are exploited for entertainment. Their lives are worth more than profit. They deserve freedom, respect, and the chance to live in the wild, where they truly belong.

 World Animal News