TORONTO – Next to the falls themselves, the aquarium at Niagara Falls is one of the most popular draws in the city, but a former employee of Marineland claims some of the animals have been mistreated.
Phil Demers was a trainer there for 12 years and to him the animals are like family, but he said he had to leave.
“I saw animals that were subjected for early harsh chemicals, of which some irreparable damage was made,” said Demers. “I couldn’t for the life of me fathom being a part or putting myself or anybody on that stage with the animals in the condition they were in.”
Demers claims leaks of chemicals like ozone and chlorine made the workplace barely fit for humans, let alone more delicate sea creatures.
“You can imagine what your lungs would look like after long-term exposure,” said Demers.
Similar accusations have been made by the group Zoocheck Canada, who provided pictures they say come from behind closed doors showing animals confined in small spaces, a lone orca whale and bears begging for food – however some of those pictures are about 10-years-old.
“We’ve always been opposed to the acquisition of whales and dolphins and pinnipeds from the wild,” said executive director of Zoocheck Canada Rob Laidlaw.
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Zoocheck says Ontario needs an official oversight body for these types of facilities.
“We need somebody in government, preferable in the premier’s office, if not the premier himself to say ‘it’s time, this is a 40-year-old problem’,” said Laidlaw.
The mayor of Niagara Falls was shocked to hear the allegations made against a prime tourist attraction in his city and remains cautious.
“Sometimes pictures don’t tell the whole story, they give a snap in time, which may not be an accurate snap of the overall picture and again, I believe that you need to get both sides of the story,” said Niagara Falls mayor Jim Diodati.
Officials at Marineland are giving their side of the story and they say what’s out there now isn’t the truth.
“The one animal that was mentioned first off in the article on the cover of the Toronto Star was Larry and he is not blind,” said Marineland director of veterinary services Dr. June Mergl.
“He does have an allergy condition, the red of his eyes, kind of like pink eye,” she said. “Some of those animals do get conditions that are related to their age, which is common, such as glaucoma, that is not related to water at all and they do go blind.”
The park’s owner, John Holer, wouldn’t comment but in a previously released statement on the website, he wrote:
“Marineland staff members and I consider each Marineland animal resident a member of the family. I will spare no expense when it comes to the health and well being of the animals in my care.”
Marineland is overseen by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a self-regulating association.
The group said it has never received a complaint about the aquarium.
It last inspected Marineland in 2011 and renewed its license for another five years at that time.
-with a report from Global Toronto’s Mark Carcasole
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