Letter to Marineland

We have written a letter to Marineland for you to send, if you wish, and have posted it below. If you can, please take the time to stop and personalize it, as it is more likely to be paid attention to if it is written in your own words instead of cut and paste.

Dear Mr. Holer,

I am writing to you out of concern for the animals kept at your marine park, Marineland Canada. I feel that they are not receiving the best possible care, and would like to ensure that they are better cared for.

As you may be aware, nearly all of the animals kept at Marineland Canada live significantly shorter lives then those in the wild. This is caused by a number of factors, including the sizes of enclosures that they are kept in. Currently, the animals are not being given enough space. I would like to see the enclosures made to be larger and more stimulating for all of the species kept at Marineland.

Eventually, I would like your breeding program to be eliminated, and no new whales to be brought to Marineland. I am by no means asking you to free the whales you keep there, but to instead stop breeding them. This would give you lots of time to develop a new kind of theme park, so you would not lose any sales.

Please take this letter into consideration, and thank you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,

[Sign your name here]

[Type your name here]

Marineland

E.A.R.T.H. Toronto's current project it trying to ensure the fair treatment of animals at Marineland. Our primary aim is to get the company to change the animals' enclosures, their amount of contact with the public, and the presentation of a star species.
Enclosures
Can you imagine living your life in an empty room? This is happening to many of the animals of Marineland. Whales are highly intelligent creatures and when out of the wild, they need large spaces, with different things to do. Although whales in parks can never live in the same way they would in the wild, they should at least have a good environment, something not provided in Marineland and many other marine parks. Other animals, such as deer and bears, also have sub-standard enclosures. Many of the "habitats" provide the animals with no privacy, and are near rides such as roller coasters, which can be very damaging to the animals' well being.
Contact With the Public
When an animal comes in contact with people, especially over a long period of time in an unnatural environment, they lose the skills they need to survive in the wild. In Marineland, visitors can feed, and in some cases even touch, the animals. Not only does this affect the animals' instincts, as mentioned above, but it also takes away the animals' right to be on their own, away from the action of the crowds.
Star Species
In an ecosystem, all animals are important, and to save one, we must also save the rest. Places like the Biodome have a focus on ecosystems, and help people understand how living things co-exist. However, when a star species is presented, no matter how impressed and inspired people are by what they have seen, they are not being taught the importance of every creature.
Changing Marineland
We would like the cages in Marineland to be expanded, with more stimulating environments and activities (e.g. more toys) for the animals. We want public contact with the animals to be eliminated altogether, and the shows to be more educational, with the animals perhaps near the audience, but not performing tricks or coming in direct contact with visitors. This type of situation does not teach people about these magnificent creatures, no matter now impressed they might be with them. Finally, we would like there to be more focus on ecosystems altogether and less on groups comprised of a single species.