No response from Inuit organizations over Marineland belugas
Fate of 30 whales remains unclear after Ottawa denied export permit and financial support, leaving amusement park to warning of possible euthanasia.
A beluga whale swims in a tank at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont., in a 2023 photo provided by World Animal Protection. The uncertainty surrounding the remaining belugas and dolphins at the amusement park is coming to an end as the federal government conditionally approves export permits.(Photo courtesy of World Animal Protection)
Inuit organizations have not responded to a suggestion to take in 30 beluga whales from Marineland that have been at risk of being euthanized after the Niagara Falls amusement park said it can no longer afford their care.
Marineland had asked the federal government for financial support, warning it would have to euthanize the whales if help didn’t come by Oct. 7. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson rejected the park’s request to export the whales to China.
The Canadian Press reported Thursday that the whales are alive, after the Tuesday deadline has passed.
Jason Etok, who grew up in Nunavik, urged Inuit leaders to step in and help provide habitat for the belugas, suggesting they could be released in Hudson Bay, Ungava Bay or the St. Lawrence River.
Tommy Palliser, executive director of the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board, said the idea of releasing the captive-born whales into the wild would be challenging but not impossible.
Makivvik Corp., the Inuit organization that protects the rights and interests of Nunavik Inuit, has not responded to followup requests for comment on Etok’s idea.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national Inuit organization in Canada, declined to comment on the idea.
Nunatsiaq News also reached out to Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. for comment but it hadn’t responded as of Friday afternoon.
Let the government take care of it. sounds like , a expensive project . money better spent on housing in the north.
Do you think the locals in the area would have an issue if the Government relocated them to Hudson Bay?
Wow like as if Nunavut and Nunavut are the only ones with beluga whales
Ask Newfoundland and Nova Scotia
Better yet ask Quebec they have belugas even ask Ontario since the go through the Hudson Bay
We live in a world where predators like Israel get a pass for killing kids but a bunch of whales in captivity?
International problems vs local problems. Gotta keep the two separate
Ya….it’s almost as if we have no say in a foreign place. But at least your opinion isn’t completely focus-grouped.
It’s because those who do their work in the office are not listening to Inuit voices. Now you can say no response from Inuit that are trying to speak what their problem is never being worked on.
This comment 👌
Why should Inuit orgs be required to respond to a Marineland issue? This sounds ridiculous and out of touch. Nunatsiaq News is so hard to take serious.
Did marine land ask the Inuit when marine land acquired the belugas
Now all of a sudden the Inuit organization is expected to
The belugas were originally captured from the ocean off the east coast of Russia from 1999 to 2008; of those 15 are still alive and the other 15 are their children or grandchildren. I doubt the Russians asked anyone, especially in Nunavut.
Inuit Organizations did not create this problem, they were not part of the planning on this so why should they have a say?
That being said most of these beluga whales are traced back to Russia sub populations, dropping them off in Canada may have a negative effect on Canada’s wild beluga sub populations.
The domesticated animals may introduce dieses and infections to the beluga populations in Canada that may decimate their numbers.
There are estimated 75,000 to 90,000 wild beluga whales and releasing these 30 beluga whales may put these at risk.
I SAY NO to releasing them in the wild because of all the unknowns.
We just have to look at a few examples in invasive species.
Wild Hogs in North America cannot and will not be eradicated.
Rabbits in Australia cannot and will not be eradicated.
Asian Carp in North America that escaped sewage lagoons during flooding and storms, they are making their way in to the great lakes.
So yah folks be careful what you wish for. They may be carrying a pest or a disease pr a virus that can wipe out Canadas Beluga population.
Just put the animals down. If people want to try to save them they can start a go fund me, do not expect and force every tax payer to chip in, our governments are in debt.
I say no to a government experiment of releasing these captive animals into an fragile ecosystem where me and my fellow Inuit get our food from.
If they want to release them anywhere, maybe the great lakes would be an ideal solution.
Let the Southerners euthanize the beluga and donate the meat.
Limit northern involvement to HTA rendering assistance, if required.
Experts say these whales can’t survive in the wild – make the best of a sad situation.
It’s because you are asking the wrong organizations. Ask wildlife management boards.