Marineland Canada

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Marineland, officially known as Marineland of Canada Inc., is a themed zoo and amusement park located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It houses dolphins, sea lions, and beluga whales. Until 2023, the park also kept walruses and orcas. The park was founded by John Holer in 1961 and is now operated by his family. The park’s practice of keeping marine mammals has been controversial and has led to several lawsuits.

Marineland has been embroiled in several controversies, primarily related to the treatment of its animals. Here are some key points:

1. Animal Cruelty Allegations: Marineland has faced numerous allegations of animal cruelty. In March 2024, the park was reportedly found guilty of animal cruelty charges. Earlier, in 2016 and 2017, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) charged Marineland with multiple counts of animal cruelty due to the improper care of various animals. However, these charges were later dropped.
2. Treatment of Kiska, the Orca: Marineland faced a legal complaint about the treatment of Kiska, an orca referred to as 'the world’s loneliest orca’. Videos appeared to show Kiska floating listlessly and moving slowly. Animal Justice, an animal law non-profit group, called on the Ontario government to investigate Marineland’s treatment of Kiska.

Ongoing investigations

1. Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services Investigation: Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services has been investigating Marineland since 2020. The investigation was initiated due to concerns about the park’s water quality and the welfare of its marine mammals. The inspectors have visited the park at least 160 times.
2. Investigation into Beluga Deaths: Two more beluga whales died at Marineland in March 2024, bringing the total number of whale deaths since 2019 to 17. The cause of death was reported as torsion, or twisting of the stomach. The Ministry of the Solicitor General, the government body responsible for animal welfare, has been made aware of these deaths.
3. U.S. Government Investigation: The U.S. government launched an investigation after the death of two beluga whales at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. These belugas were among five sold by Marineland to the U.S. facility.

Animal deaths at Marineland Canada

Beluga whale deaths

Name	Sex	Date of birth	Origin	Captive from / DoB	Date of death	Age at death	Cause of death
Dee					August 2000
Sasha			Captive born (Marineland Canada)		October 10, 2011
Skoot						9 months	Injuries sustained after a two-hour attack by two adult males in a shared tank
Luna
Charlotte
Gia
Kodiak

Dolphin deaths at Marineland Canada

Name	Sex	Date of birth	Origin	Captive from / DoB	Date of death	Age at death	Cause of death
Sonar

Orca deaths at Marineland Canada

Orca Name	Sex	Date of birth	Origin	Captive from / DoB	Date of death	Age at death	Cause of death
Kiska	Female		Wild born	October 1979	March 10, 2023		Bacterial infection
Algonquin	Male	Dec 18, 1999	Captive born	Dec 18, 1999	Aug 13, 2002	2	Twisted Intestine
April	Female	Jul 4, 2004	Captive born	Jul 4, 2004	May 2004	24 days ~	Malnutrition
Athena	Female	Aug 8, 2004	Captive born	Aug 8, 2004	Apr 2009	4	Unknown
Hudson	Male	09/15/1998	Captive born	Sep 15, 1998	Oct 20, 2004	6	Meningitis
Junior	Female	1982	Wild born	Nov 1984	Jun 1994	12	Brain Damage
Kandu II	Male	1968	Wild born	Aug 1971	Oct 1979	11	Pneumonia
Kandu VII	Male	1978	Wild born	Nov 1984	Dec 21, 2005	27	Cancer
Kandy	Female	1959	Wild born	Aug 1973	Nov 16, 1973	14	Acute Pneumonia
Kanuck	Male	Aug 28, 1994	Captive born	Aug 28, 1994		3	Traumatic Shock
Kiska's Calf (No Name)	Male	08/24/1992	Captive born	Aug 24, 1992	Oct 25, 1992	61 days	Drowning
Malik (EDay)	Female	04/21/1996	Captive born	Apr 21, 1996	Mar 4, 2000	3	Immune System Deficiency
Neocia (Baby October)	Female	10/21/1992	Captive born	Oct 21, 1992	Aug 01, 2004	11	Internal Infection
No Name	Female	1977	Wild born	Nov 1979	Jan 1980	3	Acute Enterotoxaemia
No Name	Female		Wild born	11/1981	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Nootka V	Female	1976	Wild born	11/1981	01/08/2008	32	Unknown
Nootka V's Calf (No Name)	Female	05/27/1998	Captive born	05/27/1998	06/07/1998	10 days	Unknown
Nova	Male	11/06/1996	Captive born	11/06/1996	08/20/2001	4	Pneumonia. Starvation

See also

• List of deceased captive orcas
• List of living captive orcas
• Captive animal deaths by year

External links

• Marineland faces legal complaint about Kiska, 'the world's loneliest orca' CBC News
• Marineland baby beluga’s death raises as many questions as answers thestar.com
• Marineland Finally Convicted After Decades of Animal Cruelty Animal Justice
• 2 more belugas dead at Marineland marking 17 whale deaths since 2019 CBC News
• 14 whales, 1 dolphin have died at Marineland since 2019: ministry documents CBC News
• Crown prosecutors won't pursue 'animal cruelty' charges against Marineland CBC News