Fisheries minister says rehoming Marineland’s cetaceans in China would only ‘perpetuate the treatment’ the whales have endured
The Canadian federal government has denied a request from Marineland to export its thirty remaining beluga whales to China. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson stated the decision aligns with a 2019 law that banned the captivity, breeding, and use of whales and dolphins for entertainment purposes in Canada. The Minister explained that approving the permit would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to public entertainment for the whales, which she could not, in good conscience, permit. Animal welfare groups have praised the government's refusal, while the fate of the last captive whales in Canada remains uncertain, as a proposed sanctuary project in Nova Scotia is not yet operational.
