India, Oct. 8 -- A defunct marine park in Ontario has sparked outrage after threatening to euthanise its remaining 30 beluga whales unless the Canadian government provides emergency funding by Tuesday night.

Marineland, the now-closed aquatic theme park in Niagara Falls, claimed it has run out of money to care for the animals after Fisheries Minister Joanna Thompson rejected its plan to send them to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, an aquarium in Zhuhai, China, The New York Times reported.

Thompson denied the export permit, stating that approving the move would mean the whales would "continue to remain in captivity and exploited for entertainment." The minister said she could not "in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the t...