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Marineland's 2024 opening date was pushed back. Here's why some want it closed for good
The amusement park in Ontario won't be opening over the Victoria Day long weekend this year.
A trainer with a beluga whale at Marineland. Right: A sign at Marineland Canada.
Marineland Canada is opening later than usual in 2024 amid growing calls for the park to shut down for good.
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Several activists and animal groups have been sharing their outrage following news of two more beluga whales dying at the Ontario amusement park.
The whales died within the last couple of months, bringing the total of whale deaths to 17 since 2019. The deaths have sparked outrage among activists who say it's time for the park in Niagara Falls to close over the treatment and housing of its animals.
One of those activists is Phil Demers who worked at Marineland as an animal trainer for 12 years before leaving his position in 2012 because of the conditions at the park.
He's since become a whistleblower and outspoken critic about the treatment of animals at Marineland and other parks around the world. Demers recently told Narcity that he doesn't believe the park's claims that the whales died from "torsion," because he says he's heard them use that term to obscure deaths in the past.
"When an animal died, and you didn't like the answers to what its cause of death was you just call it torsion. No one can do anything for torsion or explain it," he told Narcity.
"It's just something that happens [...] it's incredibly rare. But it's [a reason] that Marineland and other parks I've found will lean on when they prefer you not to know the truth."
The former animal trainer also said he won't be surprised to learn of more whales dying soon because drone footage he's seen has indicated there are other sick whales at the park.
The news of the whale deaths comes amid online speculation that Marineland might not reopen in 2024.
However, in late April the park confirmed that it would open in June, albeit for a shorter season. It opened in May last year.
Here's what we know about Marineland's opening date for 2024 and what activists are saying about the Canadian amusement park.
Will Marineland open in 2024?
On April 18, Marineland announced it would reopen on June 28, 2024, and operate seven days a week through the Labour Day weekend.
"As Marineland prepares for a strategic evolution and redevelopment plan that will occur under new ownership, the park will be focusing on core attractions and experiences this season, and offering guests a substantial discount on admission," a press release reads.
As for what that new ownership will look like, those details are unknown at this point. Narcity reached out to Marineland for more information, but we did not hear back by the time the story was published.
Tickets for the 2024 season and confirmation of the "core attractions" that will operate will be released on May 1 on Marineland's website and Facebook page.
The 2024 reopening date is later than usual for the park, which traditionally opens for the May long weekend.
Whether or not the park would re-open in 2024 has been under speculation for months after tweets and reports said the park was closing for good.
In March, Demers shared on social media that multiple sources told him that Marineland staff was being laid off and the park would "no longer operate."
Demers told Narcity that as soon as he posted that information he received messages from people saying they received letters that they would not be employed at the park over the summer in 2024.
"This is from a water maintenance crew saying that the entirety of the park [is] not coming back. So my interpretation of that is the summer employees are the ones that have received notice," he said.
The amusement park told the Niagara Falls Review that those were "rumours" and that "Marineland is not closed."
What would happen to the animals if Marineland closed?
While Marineland is not shutting down for good, we asked Demers what would happen to the animals if the park did announce it was closing at any point.
Demers told Narcity the care of the animals would remain the same as it does during its offseason between October and May. During those months he says there is a skeleton crew of animal caregivers that feed the animals.
"At some point, those animals will be either euthanized or moved. Some of the more valuable animals, or sought after, would be the marine mammals. So they still have a chance of staying alive," he explained.
The animal activist says there's no market for animals like bears, deer, elk and bison which are housed "unnaturally" at Marineland.
Activists say "enough is enough"
Demers isn't the only one who is speaking out.
Animal Justice Canada is another organization sounding the alarm over the quality of life the animals have at Marineland.
When Narcity asked their executive director how the group felt about 17 whales dying at the amusement park in the last five years, she did not hold back.
"Marineland is more akin to a graveyard than an aquarium. Advocates have been sounding the alarm about the appalling and illegal conditions whales are kept in for years, and Animal Justice has filed numerous cruelty complaints with authorities, demanding they take action to protect the animals from further suffering and death," Camille Labchuk told Narcity.
"Tragically, little to nothing appears to have been done, and the province's Animal Welfare services refuses to speak publicly about what, if anything, they have done to enforce Ontario's laws and protect these whales."
World Animal Protection is another global organization that says "enough is enough" and is calling on the Government of Ontario to close Marineland.
"Sixteen beluga whales, and one orca have died at Marineland since 2019. That is horrifying and the Government of Ontario must step in to act," said World Animal Protection Campaign Director Melissa Matlow in a press release.
"Marineland has lost the trust of the public and has no business caring for animals."
Labchuk adds that it's only a matter of time before the Ontario park is sold and closed.
"At this point, I am deeply concerned about what is next for the animals at Marineland, and I fear they could be euthanized or shipped off to aquariums with similarly low standards to Marineland," Labchuk told Narcity.
"It is urgent for authorities and government to take ownership over the disastrous situation at Marineland, and help play a role in finding homes for these animals. After so many decades of mistreatment, they deserve the best conditions possible, ideally at animal sanctuaries."
Activists say the water quality is an issue at Marineland
There are many issues the animals who are housed at Marineland face, according to activists.
In early March, the CBC reported Marineland was found guilty of three charges under Ontario's animal cruelty laws for the treatment of three black bears.
According to the outlet, the three animals, born in 2020, lived in "cramped quarters with little access to water for months."
After the park failed to make changes, the bears were removed from the park.
In 2021, Kiska, a beloved killer whale at the park who was nicknamed "the loneliest orca", made headlines after a video showed her slowly moving around the water, floating close to the top and faintly moaning. Demers said at the time that Kiska had been in isolation since 2011. The whale died in March 2023.
Aside from the small quarters the animals live in, Demers said he has also previously called out the water quality at Marineland, which was built in the 1960s.
"These are archaic, disgusting places. You wouldn't swim in a public pool that was built in the '60s," Demers said.
Narcity reached out to Marineland with questions about the maintenance within its facilities. We did not hear back by the time the story was published.
Other amusement parks and aquariums in Canada are just as bad, experts say
Demers says he visits similar facilities around the world and has seen what conditions animals live in outside of Canada.
He says he has yet to find one that treats and houses its animals adequately.
However, the animal activist says some facilities take significantly better care of their facility. He says the issue is that the majority of these parks spend an initial investment in infrastructure, but then stop spending the money to maintain them properly.
"We're running into this problem everywhere, all the facilities are falling apart and no one wants to make the capital investment necessary to do anything because the writing's on the wall. No one wants to really pay to see these places," he told Narcity.
Demers isn't the only one who feels this way. Labchuk with Animal Justice agrees there isn't an amusement park or aquarium in Canada which she believes houses its animals well.
"Keeping wild animals in captivity for entertainment is inherently abusive, as it's impossible to provide for the needs of complex, sentient beings when they are housed in cages, tanks, and other enclosures," she shared.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.