Don’t Let Belugas Die For Corporate Greed And Neglect

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Sponsor: Free The Ocean

Thirty belugas are trapped in concrete tanks, facing death for profit—Canada must act now to release them to sanctuaries where they can finally live with care, space, and dignity.

Don’t Let Belugas Die For Corporate Greed And Neglect

Thirty beluga whales remain trapped in Marineland’s closed marine park in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Once a tourist draw, the park now sits silent and bankrupt, while the whales—born in captivity and dependent on human care—wait in concrete tanks. Marineland has warned that without government funding or export permits to China, it may be “forced” to euthanize them1. This is not a funding problem. It is a moral crisis.

Canada’s Fisheries Minister blocked the park’s plan to ship the whales to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a massive theme park in China. The decision upheld Canadian law that prohibits sending marine mammals into further captivity for profit2. But that same decision left the belugas in limbo. Marineland says it can no longer afford their care, even after decades of profit made from their suffering.

A Call for Compassion, Not Cruelty

These whales have already endured lives of confinement and loss. Nineteen belugas and one orca have died at Marineland since 20193. Experts and advocates warn that euthanizing the surviving whales would not be mercy—it would be betrayal. There are options: accredited sanctuaries across North America stand ready to provide natural ocean enclosures where the whales can live in peace, without exploitation. Sanctuaries offer care and freedom, not tricks and applause.

Ontario’s provincial law allows the government to seize the whales to protect their welfare and recover costs once the property is sold1. Advocates urge officials to use that authority now, seizing the animals in place and maintaining their care until sanctuaries can receive them. Marineland must remain financially responsible for their interim care. The whales should not pay for corporate neglect with their lives.

The Window to Act Is Closing

Marineland has told officials it is in a “critical financial state” and cannot sustain care for the whales4. Yet the park still holds hundreds of acres of valuable land and decades of earnings from the exploitation of these very animals. The government must coordinate an emergency plan for relocation—not bow to a company’s ultimatum.

There is still time to act, but not much. Every day in confinement is another day of suffering. Humane sanctuaries exist. Compassionate Canadians are watching. It’s time to end captivity and ensure these whales live out their lives in safety and dignity.

Sign the petition now to demand the immediate transfer of Marineland’s belugas to accredited sanctuaries before it’s too late.

More on this issue:

  1. Leyland Cecco, The Guardian (6 October 2025), "Marine park threatens to euthanize 30 whales if Canada does not provide funding."
  2. Desmond Brown, CBC News (6 October 2025), "Animal rights advocates urge Ontario to seize belugas, fearing Marineland may euthanize them."
  3. Io Dodds, The Independent (7 October 2025), "Save the whales! Animal rights activists plead for help as Canada marine park threatens to euthanize dozens of belugas."
  4. Dan Karpenchuk, Buffalo Toronto Public Media (6 October 2025), "MarineLand warns it needs more cash, or it may have to euthanize its belugas."
  5. The New York Times (6 October 2025), "A Canadian Marine Park Threatens to Euthanize Its Remaining Belugas."

The Petition

To the Owners of Marineland and Canada’s Minister of Fisheries,

We, the undersigned, call on Marineland and the Government of Canada to act with urgency, humanity, and compassion to save the 30 beluga whales still confined at Marineland in Niagara Falls. These sentient, social beings—some born into captivity, others taken from the wild decades ago—have endured lives defined by confinement, isolation, and exploitation. They now face an unthinkable threat: euthanasia, simply because their care has become inconvenient and costly.

Marineland’s financial distress cannot justify cruelty. The company has profited for years from ticket sales and tourism while these whales performed and suffered. Now, as its doors close, Marineland bears a moral and financial obligation to ensure their safety and care until permanent placements can be secured. The burden of its mismanagement must not be shifted onto the animals themselves.

The federal government, too, must not turn away. By denying export permits to facilities that would continue the cycle of exploitation, Canada upheld its 2019 commitment to end the captivity of whales and dolphins. That principle must now extend to protecting the very animals it was meant to defend. This is not a political matter—it is a moral one.

We urge the immediate coordination of Marineland, the federal Fisheries Ministry, the Province of Ontario, and recognized marine animal sanctuaries in North America to relocate these belugas to accredited sanctuaries—safe coastal environments where they can live with space, dignity, and proper veterinary care. If relocation cannot occur at once, Ontario should use its legal authority to seize the animals in place, ensuring they remain protected while sanctuaries finalize readiness.

Sanctuaries like the proposed Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia represent a humane path forward: a world where marine mammals are no longer commodities, but beings deserving of life beyond concrete walls. Every delay risks suffering, and every passing day diminishes the hope of giving these whales a peaceful future.

We call for compassion to outweigh convenience, and for cooperation—not conflict—to guide this decision. The belugas of Marineland have entertained humans for far too long. It is time for humanity to return the kindness and grant them freedom from cruelty.

Sincerely,

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