The sad situation at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont., continues unabated. Which is to say things have gone from bad to worse in terms of its remaining animal population. The death toll so far: an estimated 30 belugas have died, along with an orca, two dolphins and a harbour seal.

Rebel News filed a report on this horrible situation last month. And everyone involved has seemingly taken a vow of silence, including the city, the province, and of course, Marineland itself.

And the cloak of secrecy has only ramped up since we aired our expose in August. Indeed, since our previous visit, Marineland has erected a massive fence preventing entry into its parking lot. (Of note: this doesn’t stop our drone from capturing footage of the squalid conditions that remain behind the fencing.)

As well, we met up with Phil Demers. Talk about someone who “knows who’s who in the zoo” Phil used to train orcas at the park once upon a time. Now, he’s an activist trying to get Marineland to do the right thing: namely, find new homes for the animals that remain behind as Marineland sells off its assets, ranging from thrill rides to real estate. Check out our interview with Phil, who sets the story straight regarding the misinformation that swirls around Marineland these days.

In the meantime, Marineland remains a sad, sorry place – a former amusement park that is now full of dread, despair, and death.

The lack of accountability by those entrusted for animal welfare at the municipal, provincial, and federal level is equal parts appalling and unacceptable. It’s also equal parts sad and frustrating.

As a child I recall being thrilled by the marine mammal acts. The dolphins swimming upright in unison; the orcas launching out of the water like Polaris missiles. And it was all so brilliantly marketed via heavy rotation TV advertisements, wasn’t it?

But in hindsight, what does a naive child know? I think I know better now. That maybe there’s an inherent cruelty when it comes to such places as Marineland. And what’s happening behind the fencing is not right. Thrill rides are inanimate objects, not so the animals that remain trapped.

As well, it is abundantly clear this park will never reopen. But nobody with the company will answer questions. It almost seems that they are just playing a waiting game, hoping that the animals that remain behind will simply die off… so that the ongoing controversy will die off as well.

And the footage our drone captured was disturbing: dirty water in tiny tanks as the marine mammals endlessly swam in circles.

It’s heartbreaking to see what Marineland has descended into. Once upon a time, this amusement park, on a typical summer day, was punctuated with children’s laughter and the roar of rollercoasters. Now, silence has taken lease…except, that is to say, for the occasional cries of dying marine giants.

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