Tragic Choices: 30 Beluga Whales at Risk in Canada

Mon Oct 20 2025 19:46:36 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Marineland threatens to euthanize 30 beluga whales after being denied an export permit to send them to China, sparking outrage among animal welfare advocates.

Marineland, a theme park in Ontario, Canada, plans to euthanize 30 beluga whales following the government's refusal to allow their transfer to a Chinese facility. The move comes amid a financial crisis for the park and ongoing animal welfare investigations, leading to public outcry from animal rights activists. Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson denied support for the park's request, emphasizing the need to uphold animal welfare standards.

A Canadian amusement park is threatening to euthanise 30 beluga whales after the government blocked its request to send them to China.

Marineland in Ontario had hoped to offload the cetaceans on a theme park in Zhuhai, after suffering years of animal welfare concerns and financial woes.

But their transfer was denied by the Canadian government last week over concerns they would face similarly substandard treatment as 'public entertainment'.

The park then asked for federal funding to be able to continue caring for the animals - but this request was denied, branded 'inappropriate' by Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson.

Without funding, Marineland may have to put the belugas to sleep, according to the New York Times and CBC News, citing this as a 'direct consequence' of the minister's decision.

The park stated it is in a 'critical financial state' and unable to provide adequate care for the whales, having been closed over the summer while it removed the animals still there.

Thompson stated that Marineland's lack of a viable alternative home for the belugas did not entail the Canadian government should foot the bill for their care.

Marineland had hoped to send the belugas to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, which is situated between Hong Kong and Macau in China. However, Thompson denied its export permit, citing strengthened fisheries legislation instituted in 2019 that made it illegal to use marine mammals for entertainment.

'I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured,' she remarked.

Critics of Marineland have raised concerns for years, with one investigation revealing that 12 whales died within a two-year period, indicating distress among all marine life at the park. Approximately 20 whales have died there since 2019.

Animal welfare campaigners have expressed outrage at the prospect of euthanizing the whales. Camille Labchuk, director of Canadian animal rights group Animal Justice, stated the park has 'a moral obligation to fund the future care of these animals'. World Animal Protection also urged the provincial government to seize the belugas to secure proper care.