Eight trainers at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, have handed in their resignations and are speaking out to the Toronto Star about the cruel and abusive conditions at the marine animal prison, which PETA has been after for years.

Because they were made to sign nondisclosure agreements about what goes on behind the scenes at the park, many of the trainers asked not to be identified by name. But former trainer Phil Demers, who quit the park after 12 years, gave a daring on-camera interview describing the abuse he witnessed:

(Video courtesy of thestar.com)

PETA has had our sights on Marineland for some time, writing letters to Canadian officials and asking them to take action to improve conditions at the park.

Now, Marineland owner John Holer's own trainers are accusing the park of cruelty to animals, including the following:

• Because of insufficient staff, a sick walrus named Zeus often lies unattended in his own excrement.
• The park's highly social lone orca, Kiska, has had no contact with any other orcas since another orca on loan for breeding was shipped back to SeaWorld, and four others have died prematurely at the park since 2004 alone.
• A sea lion named Baker circles in mindless laps, rubbing against the side of the tank to scratch his itchy, irritated skin, which is missing patches of fur because of the bacteria- and chemical-laden water. He also lost his left eye lens as a result of severe irritation caused by the water.
• Many of the animals keep their red, swollen eyes squeezed shut against the damaging effects of the filthy water.
• Five dolphins had their skin fall off in chunks after they spent months swimming in water so green they could barely be seen in it.
• Six of the park's seven seals are blind, have impaired vision, or have other serious eye problems because of the unsanitary water.

When questioned about the insufficient staff, dirty water, and untimely death of a baby beluga, Marineland owner John Holer offered this chilling answer: "[F]or people and all living things, there is a time to live and a time to die."

Perhaps his cavalier attitude explains the more than 40 whale and dolphin deaths at Marineland since the park's inception. The park, along with fellow marine animal prison SeaWorld, earned a spot on PETA's list of deadly destinations, a register of places that anyone who cares about animals should avoid like the plague.

Please voice your objections about the lack of adequate laws to protect captive animals to Premier Dalton McGuinty:

The Honourable Dalton McGuinty

Premier of Ontario
Rm. 281, Main Legislative Building, Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A4
416-325-7578 (fax)

In just three months, 180 sea lions and seals off the coast of Canada have lost their lives because they had the audacity to eat fish that farmers wanted to kill themselves. Many were shot by Canadian fish farmers, who are allowed to shoot animals who try to scoop a fish or two out of massive ocean-based aquafarms. The rest died from drowning when they became entangled in the aquafarms' nets. We don't even have a guess as to how many birds were killed for daring to try to take a fish.

sly06 | cc by 2.0

The human taste for fish has exhausted the oceans to the point that 90 percent of large fish populations have been exterminated in the past 50 years. Fish farms only exacerbate the problem because it takes several pounds of wild-caught fish (used for feed) to produce 1 pound of farmed fish. Fewer fish in the ocean means fewer fish for seals and sea lions to eat, so is it any wonder that they are attracted to fish farm "all-you-can-eat buffets"?

Our neighbors to the north aren't the only ones who want to keep all the fish for themselves. A bill in Congress would allow the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service to shoot any sea lion caught eating endangered salmon from the Columbia River. Ironically, humans, who are the ones responsible for dwindling salmon numbers, can continue to eat all the salmon they want.

The real solution to the depletion of salmon stocks is considerably less violent: Stop eating fish. And ask your representatives not to support any legislation that promotes killing sea lions.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

A new bill in Congress would allow the National Marine Fisheries Service to shoot any sea lion they spot doing the unthinkable—eating. When salmon migrate up the Columbia River from Oregon to Washington, some sea lions use the opportunity to grab a couple of meals. That doesn't sit well with anglers and the fishing industry, who want to grab more than a couple, so both states started "removing" the sea lions in 2007 until a lawsuit filed by animal protectionists put a stop to those shenanigans. Now sea lions are facing the firing squad again, although human beings are still allowed to catch salmon from the Columbia River.

Salmon have been driven to the brink of extinction not by sea lions but by humans, who continue to gobble up fish despite the widespread collapse of fish populations. During the past 50 years, 90 percent of fish populations worldwide have been decimated, thanks to the increasing use of factory fishing trawlers that vacuum up everything—and everyone—in their path. It is estimated that the oceans' fish stocks will be completely depleted by 2050. Fish farms aren't the answer, either, since it takes 5 pounds of wild-caught fish to produce 1 pound of farmed fish and the pollution and cruelty of these factory fish farms are now well known.

You can help by keeping salmon and other fish off your plate and by contacting your legislators and asking them not to support legislation allowing the killing of sea lions.

Written by Michelle Sherrow