A Marineland marketing flyer, printed in 1967, labels Marineland as “Canada’s most talked about attraction”.
For decades, Marineland presented itself as “Canada’s most talked about attraction” and the “ideal family outing,” building on slogans that promised endless joy. A stark and deadly contrast exists between Marineland's idealized promises of “education, conservation, and research” and its now documented history of animal exploitation and neglect.
- "Come to Marineland" (1980–1984)
- "Where the Fun Never Stops" (1985–1988)
- "Happiness is Marineland" (1987–1992)
- "Everyone Loves Marineland" (1993–2024)
- "A Magical Place Marineland" (1995)
Understanding the Crisis
The Marineland park was built on animal exploitation. And now as the park continues in its financial crisis, the urgent risk to the animals still stranded on the site increases.
Instead of taking responsibility for the crisis, the park ownership is attempting to offload costs and ethical obligations through desperate financial and legal maneuvers:
- Accreditation Withdrawal: Marineland voluntarily withdrew from Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) in May 2017.
- Property Severance: In February 2025, the park successfully severed its property into four parcels to secure "operational credit financing," which requires the owner to remove the marine animals "expeditiously."
- Asset Liquidation: In June 2025, Marineland announced it was putting its entire collection of amusement rides up for sale, confirming a clear liquidation of its core theme park business.
- Regulatory Scrutiny: AWS has inspected Marineland over 220 times since January 2020.
- No Action Taken: The numbers and health status of the animals currently on the Marineland site is currently unknown. As funding continues to run out, the health of these animals is at critical risk.
The scale of the rescue challenge is reflected directly in the death toll. Welfare issues that were present decades ago are only continuing to escalate. Today, our research shows there may be over 500 animals remaining on the Marineland site, but we don’t know for sure.
Reference 2 | Reference 3 | Reference 4
See our animal tracking report. 
Count the Animals Now!
The situation at Marineland continues to draw significant international attention and scrutiny. Circumstances remain dire for the animals still confined on the premises, particularly as the park continues in a "critical financial state", is actively liquidating assets, and severe winter weather will continue to elevate risk to animal wellbeing.
Animal welfare organizations, animal law groups, veterinary medical associations, and members of the global community are calling for government accountability, urgent action, and reporting transparency to end the information blackout surrounding the status of the animals at Marineland.
Under Ontario law, the provincial government has primary responsibility for the welfare of captive wildlife - including both the marine and land animals still stranded at Marineland.
A recent public opinion poll conducted by World Animal Protection Canada underscores the strength of public concern and expectations for provincial leadership:
- 67% of Ontarians believe the Ontario government should take the lead in addressing the Marineland situation.
- 74% say the government's top priority should be ensuring humane treatment of the animals.
- 65% agree that the Ontario government should urgently step in to find humane solutions for the animals at Marineland.
We join the growing number of voices calling for urgent, direct action by Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services, beginning with an immediate and transparent count of all animals currently held at Marineland, accompanied by accessible and verifiable welfare records.
Help us amplify the call for a full and immediate animal count for the animals remaining stranded at Marineland by sharing this information throughout your network.
If you have any accurate, reliable, and legally-obtained information about animals at the Marineland Canada facility to share - we want to hear from you:
If your governmental, animal advocacy, or veterinary group would like to receive this report directly, please let us know.
