NIAGARA FALLS, ON. – A lengthy wildlife welfare investigation shows 14 beluga whales and one dolphin have died at Marineland theme park in Niagara Falls, Ontario since 2019, Canadian press has learned.

Details of the deaths are included in a document from the Attorney General obtained at a Freedom of Information request.

Twelve of the beluga whale deaths occurred during a two-year period during which provincial officials raised concerns about the park’s water quality. It seems all marine mammals were in distress.

The province asked the park to improve its water quality in May 2021. Marineland appealed, saying the animals were not in distress. Marineland denied any connection between the belugas’ deaths and the quality of the water in which they lived.

Marineland adds on its website that it has a “strong track record” when it comes to the welfare of its animals and that it “will continue to make their health and welfare a priority”.

When asked about the deaths of 15 marine mammals at Marineland since 2019 and what the government has done to help the animals, the Attorney General’s Department responded that questions about the cause of death of the marine mammals at Marineland should be themed by park management.

The province’s investigation began in January 2020. Inspectors from the Animal Welfare Service have visited the park at least 160 times.

Marineland did not respond to questions about the health of its animals, but did evict a reporter from The Canadian Press who was visiting the park from his property. This reporter and a Canadian press photographer each paid $52.95 plus tax to enter Marineland on a rainy Friday in June. During the visit, The Canadian Press noted several changes from previous park activities.

As a result, the belugas could no longer be fed by visitors and the dolphin and sea lion shows were shortened. Previously, the park held lavish displays of its dolphins, of which there were five until their recent death.

Now 15-minute interviews with the trainers are offered, with two sea lions and four dolphins. Trainers talk about animal life in Marineland and the wild, and the need for conservation efforts. The dolphins then perform a few tricks, such as turning halfway out of the water, and reward them with fish.

According to the staff, there are 37 belugas in the park. Nine male belugas swim in Friendship Cove, while 28 females reside in Arctic Cove.

Four years ago, there were 54 beluga whales in the park, the most captive whales in the world, according to an affidavit filed by Marineland President Marie Holer with the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The affidavit was part of a US import lawsuit when Marineland sold five beluga whales to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.

These five belugas relocated in 2021. Two have since died, sparking an ongoing US government investigation.

Marie Holer assumed ownership of Marineland after her husband and founder, John Holer, passed away in 2018. Management announced earlier this year that the theme park was up for sale.

Niagara Falls New Democratic Party (NDP) Assemblyman Wayne Gates, a longtime theme park advocate, believes it’s time for Marineland to make a change. He proposes to give up the animal business to focus on his rides and other entertainment.

MP Gates said Marineland is a major employer in the area, with about 100 full-time employees and more than 700 seasonal workers when it opens from May to October. In his view, a revived attraction would boost tourism in the region.

Animal rights activists say one of the complicating factors in efforts to find out what happened at Marineland is the lack of information released by the provincial investigative agency. Animal Welfare Services has not issued any press releases since assuming enforcement duties previously performed by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

A lack of information about tax-funded investigations is a problem, some observers say, particularly because the government has argued that creating animal welfare services would make enforcing animal cruelty laws more transparent.

“The public has a right to know,” said Kendra Coulter, a professor at Western University and an expert on animal welfare organizations. “We can’t be engaged citizens talking to our MPPs if we don’t even know what’s at stake.”

The attorney general’s office responded to questions last month that it was reviewing its communications practices. Hunter Kell, spokesman for Attorney General Michael Kerzner, wrote in an email: “We strive to provide accurate and timely information, but disclosure of information must take into account the need to preserve the integrity of processes, judicial proceedings and ongoing investigations .”

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has been enforcing animal cruelty laws for a century. In 2019, the organization received $5.75 million each year from the provincial government, but acknowledged that the 15,000 atrocity cases it had to handle each year was too heavy a burden. The Animal Welfare Services took over the following year and have an annual budget of around $21 million.

The Canadian press filed freedom of information requests, demanding copies of inspection reports, orders issued at Marineland and a 65-page ministry report on the park’s water quality and a list of animals that died there. The requests were denied, and an official said the information “may constitute an unjustified invasion of privacy.”

The Canadian press appealed this decision. The process went to arbitration, which resulted in the approval of one motion: a one-page list of whale deaths and autopsy reports.

Ontario residents deserve more information, according to Camille Labchuk, executive director of advocacy group Animal Justice. In his view, the provincial authority should follow the example of the police, which issue press releases and hold press conferences even during ongoing investigations.

“When animal welfare law enforcement in particular is so opaque and mysterious, the public cannot have confidence in what animal welfare services can or cannot do, whether at Marineland or elsewhere,” she said.