Open in full screen mode According to Marineland, the two belugas were suffering from an abnormal twisting of the stomach. The Canadian Press Two more beluga whales have died at Ontario's Marineland theme park, bringing the number of whale deaths since 2019 to 17. Animal Welfare Services within the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General has been investigating this tourist attraction park near Niagara Falls since 2020. The department was informed of the deaths of two beluga whales at Marineland in March, said Brent Ross, a department spokesman. The Ontario government has not said how the whales died. 
Marineland is located in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
In a press release, Marineland indicated that independent autopsies confirm that the two belugas died of twisting after valiant medical efforts to help them.
Marineland refers to an abnormal twisting of the stomach, gastric volvulus.
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All whales are under weekly monitoring by the government regulator and cared for daily by in-house veterinarians and numerous external consultants, the Marineland statement said.
The reality is that all animals eventually die from one cause or another, whether in the wild or in captivity.
A quote from Marineland Declaration
Sixteen beluga whales and one killer whale have died at Marineland since 2019, The Canadian Press has learned through access requests to the' x27;information and other sources.
A bottlenose dolphin, a harbor seal, a gray seal and two California sea lions also died during the of this period, the government indicated.
Three more Marineland belugas have died at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. The most recent death occurred last December. Marineland had sold five beluga whales to the American park and the cetaceans were transferred there in May 2021.
Mystic said that the two previous beluga deaths were due to health problems they already suffered from while at Marineland.
Three belugas from Marineland upon their arrival in Connecticut, in 2021
The US government opened an investigation after the first two beluga deaths and it is continuing. The Canadian government has already stated that it will not investigate the move.
The week the whales were transferred, Ontario Animal Welfare Services concluded that all marine mammals at Marineland were in distress due to poor water quality.
In court documents, Marineland denied that water played a role in the deaths of the whales.
The theme park claims on its website that it has a strong record of well-being be animals and that it will continue to prioritize their health and well-being.
There were 37 beluga whales at Marineland in the park last summer when La visited Canadian Press.
Twelve beluga deaths occurred over a two-year period. Documents obtained through access to information laws reveal that a beluga whale named Ikora died on October 24, 2019, followed by 10 others.
A beluga named Bull died on November 23, 2021.
The four-year provincial investigation into Marineland remains shrouded in mystery: officials refuse to release details of their investigation, which& #x27;they are doing precisely in the park and how the animals died.
Phil Demers (Archive photo)
Phil Demers, a former Marineland coach who became a critic of park, calls for accountability and transparency.
Marineland continues to hide the severity of the situation its animals are going through, but dead whales are hard to hide.
A quote from Phil Demers, former trainer and co-founder of the ' agency Urgent Seas
Where is the government? he asks.
Marineland was recently convicted under provincial animal cruelty laws for its treatment of three young black bears. The park kept these bears in cramped quarters, with little access to water and no climbing structures.
The imposition of the sentence is set for the month of August.< /p>