Marineland’s 2 sea lions find new homes at Vancouver Aquarium
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Two of Marineland’s sea lions have made a cross-country trip to their new home at the Vancouver Aquarium.
Holly and Maui, both 18, are getting acclimated to their new space, the aquarium said in a recent news release. They are living in a separate pool until they are ready to meet the senior Cinco – the resident male sea lion.
The release said Holly and Maui were moved to Vancouver as part of a “coordinated effort” by Canada’s accredited zoos and aquariums to find long-term homes for the animals, previously located in Marineland.
The shuttered Niagara Falls, Ontario, amusement park is in the process of relocating its animals, including 30 belugas, four dolphins, seals, bears and deer. It is unclear whether there are any more sea lions left in Marineland now that they have a new home near Holi and Maui.
Mackenzie Neale, director of animal care at the Vancouver Aquarium, said Holly and Maui’s age makes them “mature animals.”
“Our responsibility is to support their long-term health and quality of life,” he said in a statement.
The team there will support the natural behavior of the “social species” with daily enrichment and an “individualized wellness plan.”
The aquarium rescues more than 150 marine animals per year and more than 80 percent are returned to the wild. Those that cannot be returned remain in the aquarium for the rest of their lives.
A closed amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario is working to move its remaining animals to new homes. Meanwhile, staff are regularly caring for the aquatic and land animals on site.
Marineland did not respond to CBC Hamilton’s questions about whether other animals have recently been sent to new homes and how many remain.
Drone footage captured by CBC News this week shows several Marineland beluga whales being fed from their tanks and dozens of deer grazing on the property.
Conditional approval for whale export
Twenty whales have died at Marineland since 2019, according to The Canadian Press and based on internal records and official statements.
The park, built on a large tract of land near Horseshoe Falls, closed its doors to the public in the summer of 2024.
Since then, Marineland has been trying to export its whales to other aquariums, and is threatening to euthanize them if it does not get permission from the federal government.
Premier Doug Ford previously said caring for 30 beluga whales was expensive, an estimated $2 million a month.
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati told CBC Hamilton that Marineland wants to go in the direction of other attractions without any animals.
Last month, Ottawa said it had provided Marineland”conditional approval“To ship our belugas and dolphins to the US, namely Georgia Aquarium, Mystic Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium, and a SeaWorld location.
