Canada's Marineland Whales Likely Headed to US

Canada's remaining captive whales appear to have avoided euthanasia after Ottawa agreed in principle to allow a shuttered theme park and zoo to ship them to aquariums in the United States, CBS News reports. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said Monday she has given conditional approval for export permits covering 30 beluga whales and four dolphins from Marineland, the closed park in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Final authorization will depend on additional information from the park, which has been negotiating with four US organizations: Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, Atlanta's Georgia Aquarium, Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium, and SeaWorld, which has multiple locations in the US. Marineland had warned it was running out of money and told Thompson the animals would be euthanized if export permits were not granted by Jan. 30, according to a letter obtained by the Canadian Press.

In a statement, the park thanked Thompson and the federal government for backing the relocation plan. Ontario Premier Doug Ford also endorsed the move, saying the animals "are going to have a better home than where they are because it's a terrible home they're in right now. It wasn't large enough." The decision follows years of concern over conditions at Marineland, where 20 whales—one orca and 19 belugas—have died since 2019, according to a Canadian Press tally. Marineland will need to provide confirmation that veterinarians have assessed the animals and deemed them safe to transport, plus a transport plan and details of which animals will go to which facilities, a source tells the CBC.

Ottawa previously blocked Marineland's effort to send its belugas to China's Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, with Thompson saying she would not allow the animals to be sent somewhere they could be used for performances. That stance lines up with Canada's 2019 law outlawing whale and dolphin captivity, though Marineland's existing animals were exempted. The law also bans importing and exporting whales other than for research, but the government has the ability to make exceptions if they are in an animal's best interests.