Hello, EcoDesi here.
So this civic long weekend my husband and I along with his sister and her family decided to go to MarineLand in Niagara Falls. Actually I wanted to go to African Lion Safari but I was overruled so we ended up going to MarineLand. The trip started off pleasant enough as we took the back roads instead of the parking lot that is the QEW; passing little towns, vineyards, main streets, the lakeshore all the while fantasizing about leaving the city and settling down in the country when we both retire.
We finally got to MarineLand at about 4:00pm (after leaving Markham at 11:00am) and it was packed. We found a parking spot 10mins away but I figured this was a sign that MarineLand was a happening place so it was probably a good choice. Boy was I wrong. First off the food in this place was nothing but greasy pizzas, burgers and hot dogs. Not a salad or healthy choice in sight. But again I figured that maybe they are catering to the American palate and thus the food is what it is. So I decided to overlook that as well.
After eating the greasy cheese pizza (they didn’t even have veggie pizza option) we made our way to see the animals. First stop was the deer enclosure. (Yes I know what you’re thinking. Why are there deer in Marineland? I have a theory about that which I’ll come to later.) The attraction of seeing the deer was that you could feed the deer yourself and since we had a little one with us we thought it would be a good idea. So we entered the enclosure which was basically barren grounds with no tree or even a blade of grass in sight and the first thing I see are a herd of deer being chased by a pack of human children followed by their parents. No parks person in sight. It was like the deer were running for their lives. A few weak ones were standing by the side of the enclosure and children were trying to feed them the pellets that they were supposed to eat but they didn’t seem very interested in them, they just looked scared. Again no parks person was there to monitor the people or to make sure that the animals were not being mistreated. My husband noticed some of the children were petting the animals very hard and some were even pulling their ears. Another thing that struck me was how hot that day was and the sun was beating down on us like crazy and yet there was no shade or water for these animals anywhere.
After witnessing the depressing state of the deer we went to see the orcas. I expected the parks people to give us some information about the killer whales or even tell us the name of the whale we were seeing. But, all the trainer did was make the animal splash the audience with its tail and that was it. No educational value just a few cheap thrills and a bunch of crying toddlers.
Next, we caught sight of some bears floating about in the dirtiest water I have ever seen. I even saw feces floating on the surface of the water. And right next to me some guy was throwing crackers in the water and the bears were greedily eating it up. Again, no parks person in sight to keep this jackass from feeding the bear crap.
So what do bears and deer have to do with MarineLand? Well my husband’s theory is that bears and deer are cheaper than marine animals and their enclosures cover a lot of ground and so this way the owners of MarineLand can keep people entertained without spending a lot of money and capitalism wins again.
So I came home and did some research and it turns out a lot of people feel the same way that I do:
http://niagaraatlarge.com/2010/08/01/ocean-activists-launch-%e2%80%98not-everyone-loves-marineland%e2%80%99-contest/#more-2998 |
Today I filed a complaint against MarineLand with the Niagara Falls SPCA http://www.nfhs.ca/. If you have visited MarineLand and feel the same way that I do then I encourage you to please call them and file a complaint as well. These animals deserve better treatment then they are getting right now. And if you are planning on going there then trust me when I say please find somewhere else to go. MarineLand is just a money making scheme and there is nothing worth seeing here.
Let me know what you think. Until next time, take care.
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