TORONTO - Marineland has been ordered to pay nearly $85,000 in fines and restitution after it was found guilty under Ontario's animal cruelty laws of three charges related to its care of three black bears.
The amount, which was jointly proposed by lawyers for the Crown and Marineland, includes a $15,000 fine for each of the bears, a 25-per-cent victim surcharge and $28,000 in restitution for the care of the bears after they were seized by animal welfare officers.
The Niagara, Ont., tourist attraction was found guilty in March in what's believed to be its first conviction under animal-cruelty laws.
An agreed statement of facts read in court earlier this year said the bears — Slash, Toad and Lizzy — lived in small enclosures with inadequate access to water for months.
It said the enclosures measured 48 square feet, with the two females, Toad and Lizzy, sharing one.
The statement said animal welfare inspectors visited Marineland in early June 2021 and soon issued orders to the park, including that the bears have enclosures of at least 5,000 square feet if alone and access to water sources.