A spokeswoman for the Niagara Falls Aquarium and Amusement Park said in a Toronto statement Monday that the aquarium has not yet come under new ownership, but that the transition is underway.

"As Marineland under new ownership prepares for a strategic plan and redevelopment, the park will focus on exciting attractions and experiences this season and offer significant discounts to guests," the statement said.

The park will reopen on June 28 and will continue to operate seven days a week until Labor Day. In the past five years, 17 whales, one dolphin, one harbor seal, one gray seal and two California sea lions have died at the facility.

Three other belugas from Marineland also died in 2021 after being sold to Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium.

In a statement released last month after the two belugas died, Marineland said: "Independent autopsies have confirmed that the whales died of gastric torsion. "The reality is that all animals eventually die for some reason, whether in the wild or in captivity."

Last month, Marineland was found guilty of caring for three young black bears under the province's animal cruelty laws. The park housed three bears in cramped quarters with little access to water.

news source