Marineland, the defunct amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ont., says it is rapidly running out of money and urgently needs financial support from the federal government or it will have no choice but to euthanize the 30 beluga whales it still has in its possession.

The plea, in a letter sent Friday by the company to federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson and obtained by CBC News, comes days after the minister denied Marineland's request for export permits.

Marlineland planned to send the whales to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a theme park in China, but Thompson said she did not want to see the whales kept in captivity or used for entertainment purposes.

In an interview with CBC News this week, Thompson said she visited the facility and "looked the belugas in the eyes" and felt they belong

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