Marineland banned a number of people from entering its premises, some of whom had never visited Niagara Falls, Ont., A tourist attraction, days before the facility opened for the season.
A lawyer, a director and a scientist are among those who have received a notice of property infringement, all of which are uniformly worded except for the names. The notices said the recipients were “prohibited from entering the property, known as Marineland of Canada, Inc.” and “may not enter the property at any time and for any reason.”
The notice said all recipients who came to the property could be charged under the Property Violation Act and subject to a $ 2,000 fine on conviction.
The documents were signed by owner Marie Holler.
Marineland, which opened the season on Saturday, did not respond to numerous requests for comment.
Miranda Desa, a lawyer with the activist organization Last Chance for Animals, said she received the notice on Tuesday.
The notice states that the ban applies not only to Desa, but to the organization as a whole, “its employees, volunteers, representatives, agents, directors and affiliates.”
“The first thing that comes to mind is, ‘What are they hiding?'” She said.
“I helped Last Chance for Animals file a complaint against Marineland just last fall.”
Last year, Last Chance for Animals sent an investigator to Marineland to see what was happening in the park.
The organization sent videos as part of a complaint to the Niagara Regional Police in September 2021, and its investigator issued a statement to police a month later.
In December 2021, the Niagara Regional Police accused Marineland of allegedly using dolphins and whales for recreational purposes, an accusation that the tourist attraction denies.
Marinland blamed the charge on “ideologically led activists” who filed a complaint with the police.
Marinland appeared in fourth place in court on charges this week. The case was adjourned until June.
In March, police turned to Last Chance for Animals to ask for more photos and videos, Desa said.
“I think they’re trying to stop the LCA from attending and seeing what’s going on,” she said of the Marineland ban.
Desa said members of the organization would abide by the notification of property infringement, noting that they had no real opportunity to fight the ban.
“There are many good ways to keep advocating,” she said.
Rob Laidlow, executive director of the animal rights organization Zoocheck, said he received the notice earlier this week.
“It seems silly, they can’t really ban everyone,” he said.
Leidlow said he received similar notification of the violation several years ago.
“I have no intention of returning, no need,” he said.
Others who received the report were puzzled, including three advisers to the Whale Sanctuary project, a proposed Nova Scotia coastal refuge for whales previously bred in marine parks.
“I have nothing to do with Marinland,” documentary filmmaker Harry Rabin said with a laugh. “It’s really weird.”
He suspects that the news he received may be related to his upcoming documentary “Cry of the Wild”, about the 100 whales that were caught and kept in Russian waters and targeted at marine parks around the world.
“Actually, I didn’t pay much attention to them, we were doing our part, but now they woke up a sleeping giant,” he said.
Sarah Dubois, chief research officer at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in British Columbia, says her association as a Whale Sanctuary adviser has put her on the list.
“Honestly, I thought it was spam,” she said.
“I have never had contact with Marineland, I have never visited Marineland, I have never spoken publicly about Marineland before.”
A third asylum project adviser, Liv Baker, who lives in New York, also said she had never visited or discussed the park before.
“It’s weird,” said Baker, a professor of animal behavior and conservation at Hunter College.
Charles Winnick, executive director of the Whale Sanctuary project, said he and a handful of advisers had received the notices, but not other officials.
“It’s weird,” he said.
Marineland and the asylum project had previously talked about potentially transferring some whales at some point, but those discussions ended in December when Marineland published a report claiming the sanctuary’s waters were too polluted.
“We look forward to speaking with Marineland in the future,” Vinik said.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 21, 2022.
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