An animal cruelty charge against Marineland was dropped, sparking outrage from animal welfare groups who had filed complaints against the tourist attraction in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Last December, Niagara Regional Police accused the park of using dolphins and whales for entertainment.
Marineland then denied the charges, saying it was offering education to the public instead. The park did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The Attorney General’s Ministry has confirmed that QC Michal Sokolski carefully reviewed the case and found that a stay of indictment was appropriate.
Last Chance for Animals and Animal Justice, two animal rights groups based in California and Toronto respectively, filed complaints with police in 2021 alleging the park was using dolphins in a show for entertainment.
The groups had given police lengthy videos of Marineland dolphin shows and provided statements to investigators.
The videos, shared with The Canadian Press, appear to show dolphins pirouetting around a pool in front of an audience to get food from staff.
“We find this totally unacceptable and ignore animal cruelty,” said Miranda Desa, Canadian attorney for Last Chance for Animals, of the suspension. I’ve never seen a dolphin dance party in the wild.”
The federal government’s anti-captivity law, passed in 2019, made performing dolphins and whales illegal.
The Niagara police had investigated the allegations against Marineland and several months later filed the first such charge under anti-incarceration laws. Marineland faced a case where a captive whale was used for entertainment without a permit.
Animal Justice chief executive Camille Labchuk said she was shocked by the Crown’s decision to stay the charges.
“Unless the Crown is willing to pursue a simple and clear case, it makes me very pessimistic about the importance of animals in the justice system,” she said.
Mme Labschuk and M.me Desa was both present when charges were suspended and said the Crown told the court it would not proceed because, among other things, it believed the video evidence was biased.
According to them, the crown also told the court that there was a reasonable prospect of a conviction but the case would require a lot of resources.
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