Taiji dolphin captures for sale to marine mammal parks go on––& still no viable sanctuaries for displaced whales & dolphins CHICAGO, Illinois; NIAGARA, Ontario; TAIJI, Japan––September 1, 2026 ended one long chapter in the history of marine mammal captivity, as the last six beluga whales left Marineland of Niagara Falls. Another chapter began, however, […]
Oh deer: Marineland belugas rehomed, but deer & elk allegedly slaughtered
Belugas likely to be rehomed, anyhow. Marineland history suggests not holding breath unless swimming underwater NIAGARA, Ontario––Tentative good news about the fate of animals left by the 2024 closure of Marineland at Niagara Falls was offset within a week by more of the frequent bad news about Marineland that has emerged since Ontario animal advocate […]
Captive dolphin industry going down, so what becomes of the dolphins?
Bankruptcies & liquidations, with sanctuaries not a here-and-now option MEXICO CITY, Mexico; MIAMI, Florida––Not entirely by coincidence, the Mexican-owned Dolphin Company, owner of 30 dolphinariums worldwide, is bankrupt; the Miami Seaquarium, recently operated by The Dolphin Company, appears to be at the end of 70 years of marine mammal exhibition; and the Mexican Chamber of […]
What killed 18 Marineland of Niagara Falls & Mystic Aquarium belugas?
Whales in captivity have always had high death rates, but this is the worst for belugas ever NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario; MYSTIC, Connecticut––The December 13, 2023 death of a nine-and-a-half-year-old female beluga whale named Kharabali at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut would be just bad news, except Kharabali was the third beluga to die among a […]
Marineland of Canada & Mystic Aquarium in hot water over beluga deaths
Two of five “healthy” beluga whales sold by Marineland to Mystic in 2021 have died & a third is reportedly ill MYSTIC, Connecticut; NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario––Two of the longtime most controversial marine mammal exhibition venues in North America are taking heat––again––after the deaths of two out of five beluga whales who were transferred from one […]
Dark day in November for Canada’s embattled marine mammal parks
Both Vancouver Aquarium belugas die; Marineland of Canada hit with cruelty charges VANCOUVER, B.C.; NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario––November 25, 2016 was a bad day for both of Canada’s perennially embattled marine mammal parks, the Vancouver Aquarium and Marineland of Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario. On that day the Ontario SPCA filed five cruelty […]