2026-03-07
44 分钟On the Canadian side of Niagara Falls,
a theme park called Marineland shut its doors a year and a half ago.
Back in October, more than a year after it closed, 30 beluga whales continued to circle the park's tanks.
Marineland had tried to sell them to China.
The government put a stop to that.
The fisheries minister had said she'd looked the belugas in the eye and felt they belonged in the ocean.
So Marineland said that if no one stepped up to pay for whatever happened to the whales,
they'd have no choice but to euthanize all of them.
And so began a very particular Save the Whales campaign.
I'm Jason Palmer, and this is The Weekend Intelligence.
Around the world, more than 3,000 whales and dolphins live in captivity, mostly at places like Marineland.
Public opinion on this kind of thing has shifted.
As animal welfare has become more of a concern for audiences, they've voted with their feet.
Attractions in America, France and Mexico have closed.
What to do with their charges?
It's easy to think that what's best for the animals is to let them go.
My colleague Sam Colvert has been looking into it, with some help from a whistle-blowing former employee of Marineland.
And what's best, or even good for the animals, is not at all clear.
I was excited to talk to Phil Demers.
His profile picture on X is a close-up.