Overview
- Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson granted conditional approval to export roughly 30 belugas and four dolphins, saying permits will be issued once required health checks and logistics are filed.
- Marineland is negotiating placements with Shedd Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, Mystic Aquarium and SeaWorld, and the U.S. facilities say import reviews and individual assessments are still underway.
- The move followed Marineland’s warning that the animals would be euthanized if permits were not authorized by Jan. 30, a threat the minister referenced in her letter to the park.
- Thompson previously rejected a plan to send the whales to China’s Chimelong Ocean Kingdom under Canada’s 2019 law that curtailed captivity and breeding, as the Niagara Falls park faces financial strain and a record of at least 20 whale deaths since 2019.
- Animal-welfare groups are urging no-breeding guarantees and tighter safeguards, noting that a planned Nova Scotia sanctuary is not yet operational, while Ontario’s premier backed the transfers as a better option for the animals.