“Everyone loves Marineland!”
If you’ve lived in Canada for any significant period of time that catchy as all hell hook to the Marineland jingle has been stuck in your head. It’s, hands down, the best thing about the Seaworld rip off located in Niagara Falls.
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But, with the film Blackfish spurring resentment against aquatic attractions and repeated charges of animal abuse it’s probably fair to say that the “love” sentiment from the jingle doesn’t hold truth anymore.
On January 9, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) laid six new charges against Marineland under the Ontario SPCA Act. Oddly, these charges, as are the others, are in regards to alleged abuse/neglect against elk, red deer and fallow deer—not for abuse against aquatic animals.
This now makes it a total of eleven accounts now have been laid against Marineland since a OSPCA investigation in 2015.
In late November, Marineland was once again in the news for animal abuse. The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) charged the company with five accounts of abuse in regards to the way they treated its black bears, guinea hens and a peacock. At the time, OSPCA said that their investigation was ongoing and further charges were pending.
The majority of the eleven charges are related to permitting an animal to be in distress and failing to provide a prescribed standard of care to the animal. The animals in question are still at Marineland.
At the time of the November’s charges, Marineland responded by denying the charges and saying they will fight them “vigorously.” Marineland will get their chance to defend themselves in court on January 27.
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