From Niagara This Week:
For nearly five decades, Marineland has used images of dancing mascots and whales kissing kids to persuade families that their park is a friendly and fun environment.
Millions have been convinced by 30-second fun-in-the-sun commercials and the park’s unforgettable jingle, but animal rights groups insist the facility is a prison for its captive animals.
While the theme park continues to grow in size and popularity every summer, one thing has become clear in recent years: not everyone “loves” Marineland.
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First of all… a large handful of the Beluga Whales were bred in captivity, and would not be able to survive out in the wild now.
Secondly… the animals are probably treated better in the tanks than you or me are ever treated. So they perform a few tricks. They’re not jumping through flaming hoops, they’re just splashing around.
Third… since the addition of Arctic & Friendship Cove, their tanks are much bigger & much more adequate than before, which was way too “Free Willy” small.
There’s nothing wrong with watching the whales or other animals perform, so as long as they’re being treated & cared for well (those Orca deaths, however, make me question what went wrong for so long). It’s educational, and they’re there for the benefit of teaching & informing people about the whales.
i agree totally wiht you Rob the animals in the park are unable to surivive in captivity thats it on that. As for the preformances no animal no longer jumps through hopps literally or figuritivly speaking they now stick to natural animnal behaviors and it gives these animals exersize and enjoyment. Marineland’s trainers are in love with there animals and take great care in them someone relaly does watch that baby buluga 24/7 making sure its ok. I have never seen neglect at that park. And they are no longer confined to little tanks. John Holer’s aqarium complex if and when finsihed will change the enviroment too as well as incopperate size. And there are fewer shows at the park the times are now fewer and shows aren’t as long.
It’s probably a good thing that animal rights groups still demonstrate. It puts pressure on the the various parks/zoos, and keeps important issues in the headlines. I’m sure Marineland has made some of their changes because of the demonstrators and changing public perception (even though they might not ever admit it).
I am fine with the park and go often. Although Friendship Cove and Arctic Cove are obviously not as large as the ocean, but they are some of the largest tanks in North America, and the animals are better off for it.
…not to mention that they have virtually all the land in the world, it seems… and if needed, they COULD build even larger tanks if they happen to have just a few too many whales popping out (Beluga).
It isn’t cheap, but it’ll make everyone happy, and the ROI will eventually pay off.
Marineland has been around for a long time and I would assume if there was any trouble with the way they treated animals it would be found out about and taken care of, or if there were major problems the park would have closed a long time ago or the information would become widespread common knowledge and people would just stop coming. It does not make sense to operate a marine-focused park and not take care of things.
I have never seen an animal show anywhere where anything dangerous was done, so they throw a ball around and splash around a bit, these are natural excercises and they help keep the animals healthy and happy.
If people have a ticket to marineland they are going to go regardless of the fact there are protesters outside or not. Imagine telling the 3 kids you have in tow that they are not allowed to go into the park after you have planned a day there and are all ready to go and they are very excited, because the animals are not treated fairly, its not going to happen. Protesters appear at many of these types of things and it does not seem to affect sales of the event or theme park. If you have an event that uses animals in any way you may get protesters.
If you are genuinely concerned about the welfare of animals then you should do the research and make your own decision about whether or not a facility like marineland is OK for you to visit and not listen to a protestor’s propaganda.
The whales are being treated like luxury. Free food and, not to mention 2 orcas per huge friendship cove tank. That’s pretty good. I mean, as Sara said, if they were treating the animals bad or neglecting them, the park would have closed down. Also, those belugas sit in the feeding section and get fed all day long. If that’s bad treatment, people have some problems.
Sara, Rob, Philip and Graham,
With all due respect, I think you’re all a little naive. If you were forced to live in room for the rest of your life, even with three meals a day, never to see your family again, forced to perform and powerless as total strangers watch you and try to touch you all day whether you want it or not, and to have your life span cut in half, would you be happy? Most of these animals have been captured from the wild (as reported by the media), ripped from their homes and family members, and a number have died during the captures and subsequent trip to the park.
Have you ever seen beluga whales being captured? I have and it’s most disturbing. The water red with blood while they frantically try to escape. Then they’re dragged out of the water by their tails and pulled by tractor to a helicopter, which transports them to a cargo plane, then to their final destination. Can you imagine the terror?
All but two or three of Marineland’s belugas have been captured from the wild. The first arrived at Marineland in 1999. Since then, 7 have died.
Rob wonders why the whales were dying for so long, as if the deaths ocurred a long time ago. Since 1999, more than 18 whales have died at Marineland. If the animals are better off in captivity, why do they keep on dying? He also says the tanks are bigger and Chris says there are two orcas per tank. The tanks are bigger, yes, but since Marineland has filled Arctic Cove with 27 belugas, you’re back to overcrowding. And Nootka (the female orca)is kept isolated in her own tank, unable to bond and interact with her babies. For highly social animals, this amounts to torture.
The performances have been reduced because attendance is down (because U.S. tourism is down) but the animals still perform: trainers shooting basketballs off the nose of an orca and riding two dolphins like water-skis. Real educational. You have to remember, Marineland has never been about education. It’s about entertainment. But, as was said, public pressure has forced Marineland to draw the “education/appreciation” card. Still, it’s just lip service.
It’s a myth (created by the marine park industry) that these animals can’t be released back into wild. If you dig a little, you’ll find it happens all the time. Besides, that’s not what animal rights activists want. They want the capture and breeding to stop. Replace the animals, when they die, with more amusement park rides. It could take 10 years or more for the last of the animals to die. Plenty of time for Marineland to become another Canada’s Wonderland and no more animals suffering.
Sara says that if there was any “trouble”, it would be found out and stopped. This is simply not the case. Canada has no marine mammal protection laws like the U.S. does. Nor does it have regulations or standards on how big a tank should be or how whales should be treated. The Humane Society has no enforcement powers regarding wild or exotic animals in a performance setting, or the expertise or training to know if the animals are suffering. Need I remind you that Marineland owner John Holer owns the land the H.S. is on and he built the building. A plaque on the wall when you walk in says (I’m paraphrasing) “This place wouldn’t be possible without John Holer of Marineland” They aren’t going to do anything to make Marineland look bad.
Again, if you look into the history of Marineland, you’ll find they’ve been cited and charged for a number of environmental violations, illegal smuggling of whales into the country and animal cruelty. People still come because they choose to believe the animals aren’t suffering. They buy Marineland’s story because they want to see whales. And like all zoos and circuses, the customer’s wants and needs always come before the animals’.
I would suggest you “do the research” as Sara says, but also listen to both sides, instead of writing off the protesters’ “propaganda.”
The animal rights activists have nothing to gain from demonstrating, except to have strangers hurl insults and profanity their way (and have bogus lawsuits filed against them). They do it because they believe the animals are suffering. The activists become the animals’ voices.
And then ask yourself this: What does Marineland has to lose if it admits that these animals may be better off in the wild, where they have spent the last 100,000 years? The answer is: everything.
Sincerely,
Dan
An American soldier who had been captured by Iraqis during the first Gulf War was asked if he had been abused. He said, “Well, I was taken away from my family, my home and my freedom was taken away. There’s no greater abuse than that.”
Sara, Rob, Philip and Graham,
With all due respect, I think you’re all a little naive. If you were forced to live in a room for the rest of your life, even with three meals a day, never to see your family again, forced to perform and powerless as total strangers watch you and try to touch you all day whether you want it or not, and to have your life span cut in half, would you be happy? Most of these animals have been captured from the wild (as reported by the media), ripped from their homes and family members, and a number have died during the captures and subsequent trip to the park.
Have you ever seen beluga whales being captured? I have and it’s most disturbing. The water red with blood while they frantically try to escape. Then they’re dragged out of the water by their tails and pulled by tractor to a helicopter, which transports them to a cargo plane, then to their final destination. Can you imagine the terror?
All but two or three of Marineland’s belugas have been captured from the wild. The first arrived at Marineland in 1999. Since then, 7 have died.
Rob wonders why the whales were dying for so long, as if the deaths ocurred a long time ago. Since 1999, more than 18 whales have died at Marineland. If the animals are better off in captivity, why do they keep on dying? He also says the tanks are bigger and Chris says there are two orcas per tank. The tanks are bigger, yes, but since Marineland has filled Arctic Cove with 27 belugas, you’re back to overcrowding. And Nootka (the female orca)is kept isolated in her own tank, unable to bond and interact with her babies. For highly social animals, this amounts to torture.
The performances have been reduced because attendance is down (because U.S. tourism is down) but the animals still perform: trainers shooting basketballs off the nose of an orca and riding two dolphins like water-skis. Real educational. You have to remember, Marineland has never been about education. It’s about entertainment. But, as was said, public pressure has forced Marineland to draw the “education/appreciation†card. Still, it’s just lip service.
It’s a myth (created by the marine park industry) that these animals can’t be released back into wild. If you dig a little, you’ll find it happens all the time. Besides, that’s not what animal rights activists want. They want the capture and breeding to stop. Replace the animals, when they die, with more amusement park rides. It could take 10 years or more for the last of the animals to die. Plenty of time for Marineland to become another Canada’s Wonderland and no more animals suffering.
Sara says that if there was any “troubleâ€, it would be found out and stopped. This is simply not the case. Canada has no marine mammal protection laws like the U.S. does. Nor does it have regulations or standards on how big a tank should be or how whales should be treated. The Humane Society has no enforcement powers regarding wild or exotic animals in a performance setting, or the expertise or training to know if the animals are suffering. Need I remind you that Marineland owner John Holer owns the land the H.S. is on and he built the building. A plaque on the wall when you walk in says (I’m paraphrasing) “This place wouldn’t be possible without John Holer of Marineland†They aren’t going to do anything to make Marineland look bad.
Again, if you look into the history of Marineland, you’ll find they’ve been cited and charged for a number of environmental violations, illegal smuggling of whales into the country and animal cruelty. People still come because they choose to believe the animals aren’t suffering. They buy Marineland’s story because they want to see whales. And like all zoos and circuses, the customer’s wants and needs always come before the animals’.
I would suggest you “do the research†as Sara says, but also listen to both sides, instead of writing off the protesters’ “propaganda.â€
The animal rights activists have nothing to gain from demonstrating, except to have strangers hurl insults and profanity their way (and have bogus lawsuits filed against them). They do it because they believe the animals are suffering. The activists become the animals’ voices.
And then ask yourself this: What does Marineland have to lose if it admits that these animals may be better off in the wild, where they have spent the last 100,000 years? The answer is: everything.
Sincerely,
Dan
An American soldier who had been captured by Iraqis during the first Gulf War was asked if he had been abused. He said, “Well, I was taken away from my family, my home and my freedom was taken away. There’s no greater abuse than that.â€
Marineland may have larger tanks, but lets face it, tanks are not the ocean …8 million gallons of water that they claim to have, is roughly 40,000 cu feet and with the number of animals that Marineland displays, each animal actually has very little space. Even if it were otherwise, with all the will and money, you cannot begin to replicate the kind of conditions that the ocean provides for the animals.
People in jails are also given (as Chris says) ‘free food’ - is that the common denominator for knowing that individual animals are being treated well?
Marineland may have been around for a long time, but because there are no laws about how cetaceans must be kept, it’s up to Marineland how they treat the animals…and lets not forget they are first and foremost a money-making organization with their own interests being met and not the animals - the proof is in the fact that many animals have died there, at very young ages compared to their wild counterparts.
I’ve noticed a couple of times another person by the name of Dan has posted here so I will now go by Dan M. to distinguish myself (as in the regular poster). Please don’t mistaken the previous post as mine.
I can’t bring my thoughts on Marineland as I haven’t been there in years. I’m just not that interested in it as an amusement park, and I’ve never been crazy on staring at animals. The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta was very well put together though when I visited in November.
I didn’t think that was you Dan!
There’s only 25 belugas.
Got me doing some research on the net…you will find quite a bit negative on the animal treatment at Marineland if you look. I am sure however, this goes for Sea World and any place that features animals in captivity. I dont know enough about any of this to have an opinion really.
You’re right Chris. There are only 25 belugas currently at Marineland. I forgot to factor in the two most recent deaths. Kind of proves my point though, don’t you think?
Wow I didn’t realize Marineland had 25 beluga whales!!! Why sooo many? I think the last time I was there, was the year they introduced the beluga whales and there were only a few.
Dan M., you were there when they had only 7 belugas. That was when Friendship Cove opend in, i think 1999.