Deaths of beluga whale and bottlenose dolphin at Canadian park under investigation
A beluga whale and a bottlenose dolphin have died at a Canadian amusement park.
Although no details have been provided on the cause of death and when it happened, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General confirmed that the animals died at MarineLand Park, located in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
In an email to Daily Hive, government spokesperson Brent Ross stated that post-mortem examinations of both animals have been conducted by professionals retained by MarineLand. Results of the necropsy have not been released.
An investigation by Animal Welfare Services (AWS) is ongoing onsite “to determine if the standards of care are being met.”
“As previously shown, AWS will not hesitate to issue orders if MarineLand is not in compliance with all rules, regulations, and standards of care regarding the welfare of animals,” stated Ross.
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A message on MarineLand’s website states, “We have a strong record of providing for the welfare of our animals and will continue to prioritize their health and wellbeing as a central focus of our mission.”
According to Animal Justice, a non-profit national animal law advocacy organization, the beluga whale was 28-year-old Kodiak and the bottlenose dolphin was 26-year-old Sonar.
The announcement comes around two months after an Icelandic killer whale named Kiska died at the park in March.
Kiska made headlines after videos surfaced showing the orca floating listlessly in a concrete pool and bashing her head against the barrier.
BREAKING: A beluga whale & dolphin have died at Marineland—just 2 months after lone orca Kiska perished at the marine park 🐳🐬💔#Marineland must be held accountable for cruel conditions & rampant animal suffering!https://t.co/1HSHdY42wY
— Animal Justice (@AnimalJustice) May 9, 2023
“Kodiak and Sonar tragically perished just two months after Kiska, the last captive orca in Canada, died at MarineLand,” reads an article on Animal Justice’s website. “There are still dozens of captive whales and dolphins at MarineLand, and they sadly cannot be released into the wild because they have been robbed of their survival skills.”
Online, people are demanding that the park be shut down.
Here’s hoping this is the death of #Marineland after the deaths there (that I and thousands of others have called for closing for decades) of so many beautiful marine mammals. Remembering #Kiska
— Cheri DiNovo (@CheriDiNovo) May 9, 2023
🎶 Everyone hates Marineland 🎶 (and wants it to close) https://t.co/ctff9eYVk7
— Nicole Simone (@nicolesimone) May 8, 2023
What’s it going to take to shut this place down
— Charmaine Haddow (@HaddowCharmaine) May 8, 2023
🎵🎵Everything Dies At MarineLand🎵🎵
🎵🎵Everyone Hates MarineLand🎵🎵#BanMarineLand https://t.co/SmoruOHDN4— trevor jones (@MeanMrJones) May 9, 2023
Daily Hive has reached out to MarineLand for more information.
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