“Marineland should be restructured without animals, and the existing animals at Marineland should be moved to appropriate and safe sanctuaries.”
A Statement from Niagara Falls, Ontario NDP MPP Wayne Gates
Posted August 25th, 2023 on Niagara At Large
Protesters have been a common sight outside of Marineland for many years. File photo by Doug Draper
A Brief Foreword from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large –
In all of the many years I have been following the Marineland story, going back to my time, in the 1980s and 90s, as an environment reporter at The St. Catharines Standard, Wayne Gates, a former Niagara Falls city councillor and now an elected member of the Ontario legislature, is one of the first – if not the very first – politician in this region calling on the amusement park to get out of the business of holding animals in captivity to draw park visitors.
Gates’ call for a Marineland without animals – falling in the wake of a Canadian Press report that a total of 15 marine mamals – 14 whales and one dolphin – have died at the park since 2019, echoes similar calls made by animal rights groups and by some of the park’s former employees, including former marine mammal trainers, for at least half of the park’s 62-year existence.
In the face of any and all charges of animal mistreatment, Marineland representatives, including the park’s founder, John Holer, who died in 2018, have repeatedly insisted that the animals it holds in custody have received a high quality of care and that any charges to the contrary are completely false.
For this reporter, the bottom line has always been the ethics of keeping these great animals in captivity for the amusement of humans in the first place. For me, the ultimate blame for parks or zoos that display these animals belongs to those who purchase tickets at the entry gates.
Now here is Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates’ August 25th, 2023 statement –
NIAGARA FALLS – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) released the following statement in response to disturbing reports of animal mistreatment
STATEMENT, August 25, 2023
Gates: Marineland needs a new path forward – without animals
Niagara Falls, Ontario MPP Wayne Gates
NIAGARA FALLS – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) released the following statement in response to disturbing reports of animal mistreatment and death at Marineland:
“The new reports about animal deaths and mistreatment at Marineland are highly disturbing. Unfortunately, the Solicitor General’s response seems to indicate that this government is either unwilling or incapable of regulating or holding Marineland to account.
We need to look at all options for a new path forward for Marineland – one that stops putting animals in harm’s way. Marineland should be restructured without animals, and the existing animals at Marineland should be moved to appropriate and safe sanctuaries.
“A move in that direction would be a positive step in the right direction for the vibrant tourism industry of Niagara Falls, and the countless people who benefit from it – visitors, locals, and workers alike.”
To read a recent CBC report on this issue, click on – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/ont-marineland-1.6946030#:~:text=At%20Marineland%2C%20the%20Ontario%20theme,The%20Canadian%20Press%20has%20learned.
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