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Marineland’s belugas are alive after euthanasia deadline passes, Ontario says


The Ontario government says all of Marineland’s belugas are alive.

The Niagara Falls, Ont., park threatened to euthanize its 30 beluga whales if the federal government didn’t inject emergency funds for their care.

Marineland’s threats carried a Tuesday deadline that came and went after Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson last week denied its request for an export permit to move the whales to an aquarium in China.

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Thompson did not capitulate to Marineland’s request, but has said she will consider any new export requests expeditiously.

The park has not opened to the public since the end of summer in 2024, as it looks to sell its vast property one kilometre from Horseshoe Falls.

The office of Solicitor General Michael Kerzner did not provide further details of the situation at Marineland, where provincial Animal Welfare Services inspectors have had an ongoing investigation since 2020.

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Marineland has not responded to multiple requests for comment since the deadline passed about the state of the whales.

Twenty whales, including 19 belugas and one killer whale, have died at the park since 2019.


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