Caught in political crossfire and facing potential death, there are few options for relocating the remaining 30 belugas at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont.

The now-closed theme park and zoo said in a statement last week that the whales face possible euthanasia after Ottawa denied its applications to export them to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China.

Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson expressed concern that approving the export request may set the whales up for being used for entertainment purposes. She said Wednesday she’s “completely open to looking at" other export requests and has been in touch with a provincial counterpart about possible solutions.

While any applications for the export of whales fall under the purview of the federal government, animal welfare is legally the r

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