LOS ANGELES, Aug. 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last Chance for Animals (LCA) President and Founder Chris DeRose today issued the following statement in response to the Canadian Crown’s decision to drop 11 animal cruelty charges against Marineland Canada:
“We are disappointed in the Crown’s decision to drop all charges against Marineland. During a five-month investigation into the theme park, Last Chance for Animals documented an unconscionable level of neglect and complete disregard for the well-being of the land animals under Marineland’s care. The Crown’s decision to drop all charges despite having sufficient evidence to move forward on at least three counts is shameful. It is the government’s responsibility to hold Marineland accountable and enforce existing animal welfare laws. There has been a tremendous increase in the public’s awareness of the plight of captive wildlife and cruelty will not be tolerated. Last Chance for Animals will continue to fight for the animals at Marineland.”
Photo and video evidence from LCA’s 2016 investigation revealed several cases of neglect and mistreatment of the theme park’s land animals, including:
- a deer with a severely infected eye that had not received necessary medical care;
- a peacock with a severely swollen eye that had not received necessary medical care;
- multiple fallow deer limping from undiagnosed injuries;
- the discovery of multiple dead animals, including deer, fowl and bison that were stored in an onsite freezer before they were buried on-site;
- bears with chronic diarrhea that had been fed expired and moldy food on a daily basis;
- pheasants and guinea fowl that were housed so dense that they constantly attacked one another, resulting in injury and death.
The evidence was submitted to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) as part of a formal complaint. The deplorable conditions documented at Marineland resulted in the park being charged with 11 counts of animal cruelty under the Ontario SPCA Act. Five counts were filed in November 2016, and six additional counts were filed in January 2017. Today, the Crown dropped all charges saying it did not believe it was in the public interest to prosecute Marineland, citing potential court costs a reason.
Marineland’s board of directors would have faced a $60,000 fine, up to two years in jail and a lifetime ban on owning animals had the court case moved forward.
For more information about LCA’s Marineland investigation, please visit LCAnimal.org. LCA Director of Investigations Hayden Hunter is available for media interviews. Please direct all requests to Arron Neal at 213-568-3334 or arron@arprla.com.
ABOUT LAST CHANCE FOR ANIMALS
Last Chance for Animals (LCA) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation through education, investigations, legislation, and public awareness campaigns. Since its formation in 1984, LCA has succeeded as one of the nation’s pioneer animal advocacy organizations. LCA’s educational and public outreach programs have empowered others to make positive changes for animals. For more information, visit www.lcanimal.org or follow @LC4A on Twitter.