A Brief News Commentary by Doug Draper
Posted October, 14, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Catherine Ens, a founding member of Niagara Action For Animals (NAFA) at one of many demonstrations she has helped organize over the years outside the gates of the Marineland amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario. file photo by Doug Draper
(A Brief Note from Niagara At Large – This post has been updated to include an October 13th, 2025 report that was aired on Buffalo, New York’s Channel 2 TV station, which features comments from Niagara, Ontario animal activist Catherine Ens on this issue. You can watch it by clicking on a screen at the bottom of this post.)
This past Thanksgiving weekend, on Saturday, October 11th, more than two dozen animal justice advocates rallied outsidethe gates of the shuttered Marineland amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario in opposition to the possibility that the park’s owners may soon euthanize 30 surviving beluga whales inside.
Passing motorists honk their horns in support as animal justice advocates rally in front of the close Marineland park in Niagara Falls, Ontario this past October 11th to save surviving beluga whales inside the gates
The current park owners and operators have raised the possibility of euthanizing the whales in the wake of Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Joanne Thompson’s recent decision to block the sale of the belugas to an aquarium in China.
The owners of the once-popular Marineland park, closed since last year, claim that they can no longer afford to look after the whales and a handful of other animals, including sea lions, dolphins and bears, that are still there. Park sources have reported that the cost of looking after them is about $2 million a month.
Captive beluga whales, on public exhibition for years at the Marineland amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario
“Marineland has made millions living off the backs of animals and now is saying it won’t be responsible for the ones left there now but instead talks about euthanizing them.”said Catherine Ens, a founding member of Niagara Action For Animals who attended the rally.
“They have, as I understand it, 700 acres of prime real estate and so, surely some of that could be sold off to care for animals in the interim, while various levels of government work to mandate care for these belugas and for the terrestrial animals,” added Ens in a statement to Niagara At Large. “Appropriate placement needs to be considered, so they can live their lives in a more natural way and not be forced to entertain people.”
Some of you out there and likely even more politicians might say that about 30 people out at a rally doesn’t add up to very much.
One of countless numbers of past protests in front of Marineland when it was open and making a fortune at the ticket gates. file photo by Doug Draper
However, keep in mind that this rally was called at the last minute for a long weekend where many of us were getting together with friends and family for Thanksgiving.
Our government representatives at all levels shouldn’t doubt that there will be hell to pay if nothing is soon done to spare these great mammals from execution.
After decades of successive governments at the provincial and federal level ignoring calls from citizens groups to put an end to amusement parks like this keeping marine mammals in captivity, it is time for them to finally take some responsibility and find make sure that they are moved to a sanctuary where they get the care they deserve.
If you haven’t already done so, please contact your provincial and federal representatives and demand that these great mammals be saved.
As Niagara At Large has noted before, it is totally disgusting that Marineland is now threatening to destroy these animals after exploiting them for profit for so many years. Our federal and provincial governments should be working together to ensure that the owners of the Marineland property are forced to pay taxpayers back for any money we spend to care for the animals from all of the money they are going to make from the sale of the park’s lands.
For a recent CBC news report on this issue, click on – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/marineland-kristy-burgess-9.6937623 .
To watch an October 13th, 2025 Buffalo Channel 2 TV news piece, featuring Niagara, Ontario animal rights activist Catherine Ens on this issue, click on –
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