I know that this is probably asking for trouble, and full disclosure I have never been to the place, but I have heard a lot about Marineland in Ontario, both good and bad. I guess that the place does in fact have some potential, but it seems to me that management is sort of a problem (I have heard some downright horrible things about the owner.) So let's say that hypothetically the place is about to be taken over by someone else, hopefully someone who actually knows how to run a Zoological collection properly. First, who would you have take over (if you have anyone in mind), and second, what changes would you make. For example, which exhibits would you keep, what would you phase out (frankly if Kiska was in shape for it I would send her off to one of the SeaWorlds at the earliest possible opportunity.) Would you add anything? For the sake of argument we lets say that it has been decided that the park isn't beyond saving and will still have animals. I know I'm not a moderator or anything but I have enough sense to know that this is a sensitive topic, please stay on topic and keep it civil.
I don't think proposing changes one might make to Marineland is that controversial. We all get that Marineland is mediocre to down right deplorable. And even the best places could use improvements. I'll take a whack at this. Step one... get rid of the owner. From all the reports he is one nasty piece of work. He is totally gone. If we are being realistic replace him with any reasonable cooperation that knows how to run a zoo or aquarium or even a good theme park. Unrealistic a random rich person who actually cares about the animals but that has good business sense because Marineland is a mix of aquarium and theme park. Now I'm going to pretend I'm put in charge with unlimited funds. After a thorough review of the facility from top to bottom by experts the first focus would be improving all animal situations in whatever priority order I'm given. I want a good foundation for the animals to start with. Whatever can be done with existing facilities to make things better will be done to improve their lives asap. Things like improved water treatment facilities, shade sails over the pools, and end to feeding any of the animals. That being said if Kiska can go to Sea World she will immediately. No orca should be alone. I'm 100% alright with removing the last killer whale from captivity in Canada... just to be clear it's not because I'm opposed to it. I just want her to be in a social situation where she can be happy in her twilight years. Next up I would thin the beluga collection. Clearly it's a successful breeding program so it's time to send some of those belugas out to breed and help build the population in the US. They need new blood and we have it. By opening up trading with other zoos and aquariums we should have an easier time getting new animals ourselves. I would close both shows down immediately. Let's just knock some of the wind out of the activists sails by ending shows. People might enjoy the shows but they will enjoy animals doing natural animal things just as much. Keepers can still train on exhibit allowing people to see husbandry training and the keepers can still hold talks. The smaller aquarium dome where the seals and sea lions have their show would be closed first. Among the first new projects would be building a new state of the art harbour seal and California sea lion facility built beside friendship cove. Their exhibit would be large and extremely natural. Any other seals they house will go there too for the time being. Mixed in with them will be rescued brown pelicans, great white pelicans, double breasted cormorants, A huge winter house will be built for them. Reality is they will need to be inside most if not all of the winter even if I heat the pool. I doubt very much that I would open in the winter so the facility doesn't need to be exhibit quality but it does still need to provide well for their mental and physical well being. For the time being Friendship cove will be left with the belugas there utilizing all of the pools. A huge winter facility will be built for the animals in these pools too. Priority one is making sure that everyone is well cared for all winter. Now that there is nothing of value at the front gates the Aquarium Dome will be torn down. Instead a new large building will be built with coastal tough pools built. I would like to see the building be all glass with huge sliding panels that in the summer are opened up to let in the breeze. The touch pools will have starfish, sea urchins, abalone, barnacles, mussels, hermit crabs, anemones, snails, shore crabs, sculpins, sea cucumbers, worm tubes, shrimps, brown banded bamboo sharks, white spotted bamboo sharks, grey bamboo sharks, epaulette sharks, shovelnose guitarfish, cownose stingrays, round rays, southern stingrays, horseshoe crabs, shrimp, starfish, cleaner fish and any other safe to handle animals, There will be plenty of pools allowing people to have opportunities to touch and plenty of opportunities for animals to be given a break. Once that is up and running there will be a shift to the back of the park. Over by Arctic Cove a new facility will be built for the existing walruses. There they will have tons of space and a naturalistic environment designed to facilitate breeding. A total of four pools will be built. A maternity area off exhibit for the newborns and mom to bond. A main exhibit. A bull exhibit to keep the males separate form calves until they are old enough to meet the big boys. And lastly a grey seal exhibit. The various exhibits will allow for rotation. No one will necessarily be in the same exhibit all the time. While the seal and walrus exhibit is being constructed a polar bear facility will also be built with two massive pools, field exhibits and a maternity yard. The goal would be to house at least 4 adult bears and cubs. These exhibits will be connected to the seal and walrus habitats allowing all three species to utilize all of the appropriate spaces. There will be several spots where the bears can see the seals and walruses. Running under both exhibits will be a massive twisting tunnel so that guests can come face to face with everyone. Just as its nearing completion the tunnel will be brought to and through the beluga pools as well. With the walruses and seals completely removed from King Waldorf Stadium it will be time to pull the last of the belugas and dolphins. All of the belugas will be moved to Arctic Cove. The dolphins will then head towards Friendship Cove. More will be acquired or a second species of dolphin added. The conversion for dolphins will involve expansions of the pools and removing the shallows... or at least limiting them for medical purposes. One of the pools will be converted into a manatee rehab pool. Ideally there will be rescues we help to release or at least take in manatees that will never be rehabilitated. During the summer sea turtles will also be housed here to provide more dynamic exhibits. The dolphins, manatees and sea turtles can rotate through exhibits to provide stimulation. Now that King Waldorf's Stadium is empty it will be torn to the ground. In its place will be an enormous glass aquarium. There would be three main tanks. An Indian tank with Eyestripe Surgeonfish, Anemonefish, Southern Orange-lined Cardinalfish, Longnosed Hawkfish, Guineafowl Puffer, Flame Angelfish, Scribbled Angelfish, Emperor Angelfish, Royal Angelfish, Threadfin Butterflyfish, Raccoon Butterflyfish, Azure Damselfish, Maldives Damselfish, Orange-Green Triggerfish, Black Triggerfish, Barred Mudskipper, Gold Saddle Goatfish, Bowmouthed Guitarfish, Giant Grouper, Potato Grouper, Flathead Mullet, Humphead Wrasse, Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse, Coconut Octopus, Mimic Octopus Crimson Snapper, Golden Trevally, Bigeye Trevally, Fringefin Trevally, Cownose Ray, Leopard Whipray, Sawfish, Manta Ray, Spotted Eagle Ray, Whitespotted bamboo shark, Zebra Shark, and Black Tip Reef Shark. A Great Barrier Reef tank with Big Bellied Seahorse, Pot Belly Seahorse, Leafy Sea Dragon, Semicircle Angelfish, Scribbled Angelfish, Bicolor Angelfish, Longnose Butterflyfish, Blackback Butterflyfish, One Spot Butterflyfish, Saddleback Butterflyfish, Copperband Butterflyfish, Threadfin Butterflyfish, Humbug Damselfish, Orange Lyretail Anthias, Sapphire Devil, Coral Beauty, Yellow and Blueback Fusilier, Pennant Coralfish, Pinecone Fish, Round Batfish, Ornate Cowfish, Harlequin Tuskfish, Clown Triggerfish, Mimic Surgeonfish, Palette Surgeonfish, Purple Firefish, Blue Tang, Convict Tang, Lightning Wrasse, Dusky Anemonefish, Quoy’s Parrotfish, Saddleback Clownfish, Maroon Clownfish, Percula Clownfish, Brown Banded Bamboo Shark, Red Lionfish, Blue Spotted Fantail Ray, Shovelnose Ray, Porcupine Ray, Snowflake Moray Eel, Spotted Wobbegong, Pacific Angel Shark, Spiny Dogfish, Hammerhead Shark, and Mako Shark. A Carribean tank with Banded Butterflyfish, Rock Beauty Butterflyfish, Reef Butterflyfish, Spotfin Butterflyfish, Blue Chromis, Cero, Coney, Graysby, Blue Headed Wrasse, Clown Wrasse, Creole Wrasse, Blue Angel, Queen Angelfish, Flameback angelfish, French Grunt, Glasseye Snapper, Blue Tang, Surgeonfish, Fairy Basslet, Royal gramma basslet, Black Dragon, Hog Fish, Longspine Squirrelfish, Princess Parrotfish, Spotlight Parrotfish, Striped Parrotfish, Ocean Triggerfish, Sargassum Triggerfish, Peacock Flounder, Puffer Fish, Rock Beauty, Sand Diver, Spotted Drum, Trumpetfish, THree Spotted Damselfish, Yellowtail Damselfish, Tobaccofish, School Master, Tomtate, Sharknose Goby, Jackknife fish, Spotted Trunkfish, Sand Tilefish, Painted Elysia, Great Barracuda, Green Moray Eel, Spotted moray Eel, Grouper, Tiger Grouper, Caribbean Reef Octopus, White Spotted Eagle Ray, Southern Stingray, Spotted Scorpion fish, Arrow Crab, Coral Crab, Spiny Spider Crab, Banded Coral Shrimp,Scarlet Lady Cleaner shrimp, Spiny Lobster, Lined Sea Horse, Red Reef Hermit Crab, Whitetip Reef Shark, Nurse Shark, Lemon Shark, Bahamas Sawshark, Coral Catshark, and Caribbean Reef Shark. Mixed into each of these big tanks will be appropriate sea turtles. The building will have several tunnels running under the exhibits so guests can be completely surrounded by the fish. The tunnels will run behind coral so people can get up close looks at reef fish and can be hid from the huge gallery windows and a huge cafeteria where people can eat with the fish. As part of the aquarium there will also be a huge gift shop with large jelly fish tanks in it displaying Moon Jellyfish, Planet Jellyfish, Blue Blubber Jellyfish, Flower Hat Jellyfish, Umbrella Jellyfish, Upside-down Jellyfish, Fried Egg Jellyfish, Red Eye Medusas Jellyfish, and Elegant Jellyfish. Each species will get its own tank. With the gates area back to a glorious looking thing and all of the marine animals rehomed and doing well its time to turn my attention to the deer, elk, buffalo and bears. Honestly they are probably so inbred they won't do me a lick of good with breeding programs. The minute vets hit the zoo all males would be castrated. No more inbreeding. Once I'm ready to turn my attention here a huge farm will be bought up and they can all go live there until they die... well everyone but the bears. I would take all the land from the bears though the field exhibits and redesign the space. I would turn the area into a home for Canadian wildlife. The yards for the buffalo and elk would be expanded and house wood bison, white tailed deer, and elk. A drive through component would be involved. No touching or feeding but still up close views. Space would also be created for bighorn sheep and mountain goats in a secondary drive through with a mountain. The bear exhibit would be massively renovated. It would house all current bears until death then bring in and split the exhibit between orphan black and orphan grizzly bears. The pit would be gone and it would be a big ground level enclosure. Nearby would be a cat complex which would house bobcats and cougars. A small stadium would be build for a birds of prey demonstration. Around the back of the stage would be the enclosures for the stars, great horned owls, great grey owls, barn owls, turkey vultures, bald eagles, various hawks, ect. Back over in the Arctic Cove section now that all animal exhibits are upgraded would be an expansion of the arctic. Here you would find exhibits for arctic wolves, arctic foxes, dalls sheep, woodland caribou, muskox, moose, lynx, wolverines, arctic hare, snowshoe rabbits, snowy owls, perigrine falcons, puffins and other arctic shore birds. Expanding from there, I would add in new marine exhibits. A large block of tanks would be build to house Northern Fur Seals, Northern Sea Otters, and if possible harbour porpoises and white sided pacific dolphins. This grouping of exhibits will be close to the grizzlies and other B.C based animals. With this area bulked up more species would be added to Friendship Cove. A big glass dome will be built to recreate the Florida everglades. Obviously there would be alligators, american crocodiles (need the difference on display), various snakes and geckos, opposums, raccoons, coati, armadillos, river otters, as many turtle species as possible, sandpipers, roseate spoonbills, snowy egrets, yellow crowned night heron, black crowned night heron, scarlet ibis, as many tanagers as possible. Where the deer enclosure currently sits a brand new penguin facility will cap things off. All species of penguin currently kept in North America will be included. Each will be living in its own climate controlled zone. Underwater viewing is a must. Outdoor exhibts will wrap around the building for summer use for warm weather penguins while the cold weather ones will get a chance in the winter. While all of the animal exhibits are getting their upgrades all of the rides will be given a once over as well. All rides deemed fit for service will be left in place and updated to look newer and rethemed to fit with the parks new marine/Canadian feel. Anything that still has that European vibe from the old owners days will be wiped away. The place needs a new fresh feel if its going to emerge from its dark past. I'm choosing to accept the theme park aspect of the place because reality is it draws in guests. New rides will be sprinkled in with the new exhibits. I'm not a rides person so that can be up to the theme park division. Nothing interferes with the animals. A big draw I'm really shocked they have never embraced was a water park. It's called Marineland. Go marine. At the back of the park where nothing but unmarked mass animal graves sit would be the water park. For the little ones a huge ocean themed splash pad. See my plans for Toronto because I would carbon copy that idea. Plus I would add a waterfall that is shaped like Niagara Falls... gotta get the marketing in somehow. And because we are at Marineland we cannot stop at just a splash pad. The bigger kids want bigger better fun. I hate them but will embrace water slides and wave pool. It would be wicked to have water slides with projectors surrounding them so that as you zip down the slide you feel like your in the ocean flying past whales, dolphins, seals, fish, turtles, ect. A wave generator would be cool so people can surf. A lazy river should run around the water park as well. And because I enjoy soaking parents for as much as possible I would love to see an arcade with ocean themed games. Ok that seems enough to bring Marineland out of the dark ages into the modern world.
Oh good question Funkygibbon. Dumping the name could be good. A break from its past and all. But then again something can be said for keeping it and any good association people have with the name. Perfect solution... I would hold a public poll with the current name in a mix with two or three other names. Let the voting public decide... but only if my new marketing team thinks its wise.
My point was that a lot of people dislike MarineLand strongly and would like to shut it down completely, including individuals that I assume must be on this site, also we all have strong opinions on what would constitute good improvements to MarineLand, and that any changes whatsoever would have a high likelihood of inciting some strong emotions. I really like you ideas though. And getting rid of the owner would be my first step too.
An online poll? Bring on Zooey McZooface! I thought your write up was wonderful. Even without knowledge of the facility it sounds like it would be a first class establishment. Kudos for not shying away from the rides; especially with terrestrial mammals only being from Canada I think that would really improve attendance. Maybe there could be limited opening in winter since many of the species would be adapted to the cold or on show indoors.
Wensleydale you are right... I knew what you were talking about from the start in terms of negativity. I personally would like to see it shut down unless the right crew could be brought in to make it into a world class facility. The biggest problem would be finding someone with the funds to make that happen. It's why I went the endlessly rich route for myself. Honestly if I had that kind of money I would be taking over Toronto Zoo instead where my creativeness and money could reach more people. Funkygibbon, an online poll works when you limit choices. No I would not let it be called Zooey McZooface... I would prefer Nobody Loves Marineland. But seriously I would let a real marketing team figure out a couple really positive new names that could set the place up well for the future. I Appreciate your kind comments on my plans. I restrained myself because I'm not really sure how big the property really is. I haven't been since the opening of Friendship Cove and never will again so memory of site and size are fuzzy. I would have gone even bigger and better if I had any idea about the size of the site. If you really want to see what I can do with time, unlimited funds, a huge site or at least one that I'm familiar with, and my imagination take a look at the If I Bought the Toronto Zoo thread. I may be insane but some of my reasonable ideas are cool.
Now in 2019 that John Holer is no longer in charge and better management is in, I would consult the following changes; these are largely generalized ideas that primarily deal with the zoological aspects of things, without a particular budget in mind. But before I do that, I do want to address the fact that I believe Marineland is being generalized as a worst facility than it actually is. Yes, some of the facilities are outdated for sure, but some of the concerns with water quality are largely unsubstantial, and no definitive proof exists that MLC's water quality is any better or worse than that of other marine parks. Secondly, while certainly a case could be made that the standard of care for the marine mammals at the park was poor in the past, MLC's CAZA accreditation and partnerships with marine mammal facilities across the world should be somewhat of a precedent to the fact that they don't abuse their animals at all. Furthermore, 11 counts of animal cruelty charged against MLC by the OSPCA in 2016 were all dropped the following year, showing that if truly poor care was present, investigators weren't able to find it. I could go on about this more, (and I still don't like that the bears are fed pellets) but if you do the research, I think it's safe to say that MLC is at least not as bad as activists and the press make it out to be, despite their older facilities. Ok, rant over. 1. Stop bear feeding (and also probably renovate/remove bear enclosure). 2. Move some of the belugas to other facilities (already happened with 7 of them to Spain, but now that S-203 is enacted, that will be difficult). 3. Completely renovate King Waldorf Stadium (the facility is old, dysfunctional and not aesthetically appealing. It goes without saying that largest, more natural habitats would be preferred). 4. Renovate Aquarium facility and add many more aquatic exhibits (the area really lacks in many exhibits at all, and could stand to be demolished and have something else built there). 5. Add several more aquatic exhibits of numerous varieties, including better interpretive signage, and ideally more endangered species that are a part of cooperative breeding efforts. (very general indeed, but more 'Marine' in Marineland would definitely be applauded, along with more conservation and education throughout the park as a whole).
