A beluga whale has died in Marineland, Ontario. This would thus be the 20e beast from the amusement park to die since January 2020, a worrying situation according to marine animal protection organizations, which are pleading for their release.
The sad news was first revealed by the UrgentSeas organization before finally being confirmed by the government.
“We posted video of the sick beluga, then filmed it again shortly after, and the whale was no longer in the tank. There is a burial site nearby, and we confirmed via video that it had recently been filled with other animals. The government has since confirmed the death,” said Phil Demers, former trainer at Marineland and co-founder of UrgentSeas.
The latter explained to the QMI Agency that this news was hardly surprising. According to him, deaths are numerous among animals at Marineland, as well as among those sold at the Mystic Aquarium in the United States.
“Captivity will always compromise whales and dolphins, no matter what concrete tank they are in. They must be released into their natural environment,” added Mr. Demers.
According to information obtained by Global News, 14 beluga whales, an orca, a bottlenose dolphin, a harbor seal, a gray seal and two California sea lions have died at the Niagara Falls amusement park since January 2020. .
For his part, last May, Phil Demers estimated that more than 25 whales and dolphins would have died since 2020 at Marineland.