Court finds Marineland guilty of animal cruelty over care of 3 young black bears
Ontario has charged Marineland over the care of its black bears.
The Ministry of the Solicitor General said it laid the charges against the Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction on Tuesday.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"Marineland of Canada, Inc. in Niagara Falls, Ontario, has been charged with three counts of failing to comply with an order, related to the care of American Black Bears," said Brent Ross, a spokesman for the ministry.
Ross said the charges have been laid under a section of the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act that allows an inspector to issue an order to help animals that may be in distress. The facility must comply with the order or otherwise face charges.
The ministry declined to provide more details.
"Given this matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate for the ministry to comment further," Ross said.
Marineland said it was working on providing comment.
It has previously said it treats all its animals well and exceeds the standards of care as prescribed under the law.
The park houses an unknown number of black bears that live together in an enclosure with dens and water. Visitors can feed the bears corn pops.
In 2016, when the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals enforced animal cruelty laws, Marineland was charged with one count of failing to comply with the prescribed standards of care for about 35 American black bears, including failing to provide adequate and appropriate food and water for them.
The Crown later dropped those charges, saying there was no reasonable chance for a conviction.
Marineland is shown in Niagara Falls, Ont., Monday, August 14, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tara Walton
In 2013, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals issued an order to Marineland to build separate habitats to protect bear cubs from being mauled and devoured by adult males. Marineland said it would develop a birth control program, which the OSPCA agreed to. The park said it complied with the order.
The province took over the enforcement of animal cruelty laws in 2020 after the OSPCA abdicated that role.
Since January 2020, provincial Animal Welfare Services anti-cruelty officers have been inspecting Marineland regularly, although details of the ongoing probe have not been released.
In 2021, Animal Welfare Services officers found that the marine mammals at the park were in distress due to poor water quality. On May 10 that year, they issued two orders to Marineland to repair the water system in the pools that house beluga whales, dolphins, walruses, sea lions and one killer whale.
Marineland appealed the order on May 18 that year, denying the animals were in distress, and noting that an unknown number of whale deaths at the park were not related to water issues.
Earlier this month, a beluga whale and a bottlenose dolphin died at the park.
That came following the death in March of Kiska, Canada's last remaining captive killer whale, at Marineland.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A 'tragedy that can't be measured': North Bay's forever chemical problem is also the rest of Canada's
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Here's what 'the hinge' move is, how to do it correctly
When you're picking something up from the floor or bending over to tie your shoe laces, you're performing "the hinge move," according to movement trainers.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Trump heading to Jersey Shore to rally 'mega crowd' in weekend break from hush money trial
After a long week in court, Donald Trump is heading to the Jersey Shore. And his campaign says he'll be joined by "tens of thousands" of his friends.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.