Thirty beluga whales at Marineland Aquarium, in Ontario, have been in critical condition since the center’s eventual closure in 2024. Without an audience and saddled with debt, the foundation claims it does not have the resources to keep the animals, and their owners have even threatened to euthanize them if the government does not allow the whales to be sent to an aquarium in China — a country that still allows cetaceans to be used in shows.
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According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans rejected the request in September, arguing that the transfer would mean “perpetuating the cruel treatment” to which beluga fish were subjected. Minister Joan Thompson called on Marineland to submit a new management plan, stating that it would only allow exports if they represented a “direct benefit to the animals”.
The impasse exposes a legal vacuum in cetacean protection in the country. Canadian legislation from 2019 prohibits the hunting and use of these animals in shows, but does not specify what to do with specimens found after facilities are closed.
Meanwhile, two killer whales from the same group, living at Marineland in Antibes, France, also await their fate. Since the European park closed in January, the animals have been living in tanks without displays. NGOs describe the situation as a “state of silent suffering.”
A humpback whale was found alive after more than 30 years in the United States of America
The lifespan of the male of the endangered species was about 43 years
Organizations such as World Animal Protection and Animal Justice are calling for beluga whales to be sent to a marine sanctuary in Port Helford, Nova Scotia, where they will live in near freedom. But the place can only take in between 8 and 10 animals and still relies on federal licenses.
The park, in turn, objects to the project, claiming that the reserve does not provide environmental security or financial stability. Marineland, which welcomed 1.5 million visitors a year at its peak, has accumulated reports of mistreatment and 20 cetacean deaths since 2019.
Animal welfare experts point out that the beluga case exposes the moral dilemma of countries that ban the confinement of animals, but offer no real alternatives for those already living in captivity.
Manisha Deka, a law professor at the University of Victoria, said the threat to euthanize these whales reveals the moral vacuum in the Canadian legal system, which still considers these animals as private property.
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