Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Sea World posts on its Facebook page the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has approved its plan to save 30 beluga whales stranded at the former Marlneland in Niagara Falls Ontario..
Sea World says NOAA has joined Canadian authorities in recognizing that this emergency rescue effort is in the best interest of the whales’ wellbeing. This rescue will be led by a collective of aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, including SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, Shedd Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium and Oceanogràfic Valencia. Mystic Aquarium, while not taking in any animals, will provide additional capacity and support for what will be a remarkably complex rescue operation.
Phil Demers of UrgentSeas says it's long overdue. "It was always a matter of time being against them, and as I stressed earlier, you know, it couldn't come soon enough," says Demers.
He adds the very best attention and care whales get is when there are not any people around. "When I worked at Marineland, the most welcome time was in the winter, when we were able to actually spend time with the animals and appropriately monitor them, rather than run from session to session, show to show, so the care is actually improved in ways that was critical at times, so and desperately necessary," explains Demers. He adds with Marineland not making any capital investment whatsoever in the park, it is just a matter of time, "We knew that, and Marineland seems to know as well that time is of the essence, so the whales got better attention and care once the scrutiny of the park was such that you know the public stopped going, and they ultimately had to close," says Demers.
In the coming days and weeks, Sea World says "dedicated care teams will arrive to assess the whales’ health and begin preparing them for travel. Once veterinarians determine the animals are cleared to move, aquarium experts will accompany them to their new homes."
When they arrive, Sea World says the whales will receive specialized care, carefully managed diets, high-quality environments, guaranteed water quality and access to onsite medical teams whenever needed.
While Demers won't endorse the parks involved in the move, in the US there is more credible oversight. "In Canada, our oversight provincially and federally has no teeth, and so there's really no consequence to being bad, and frankly, the standards of care, the parameters aren't up to date, etc. whereas in the US, there's strict and stringent parameters, water quality that has to be abided by, there's just greater care regulations as well as oversight, so if these facilities fail at the end of the day, there's consequences, whereas here in here in Ontario, Canada, it's just been futile," notes Demers.
Dmers says there are 30 whales still at Marineland
Sea World will join several other parks in moving whales to other parks in US
Sea World will join several other parks in moving whales to other parks in US
