Marineland Owner Offers Land, Money for Animal Care

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, which bought Marineland and then closed it, announced Monday that it would offer Rancho Palos Verdes two to three acres of land and $250,000 to build an animal care facility to take care of beached seals and sea lions.

Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Melvin Hughes called the offer a “rehash” of an earlier proposal committing $175,000, which would still leave city government with the expense of maintaining the facility.

“I don’t think it is something we can jump right in and accept,” Hughes said. “It places too big a burden on the residents of the city. We will explore it at the staff level and make a counteroffer, maybe.”

Caring for 11 Animals

Three sea lions and eight seals are currently in the closed park’s animal care facility, which is remaining open while Harcourt Brace Jovanovich officials search for a long-term home for the unit.

Hughes added that the offer would not restore credibility lost by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, which first announced it would run the theme park and then closed it without warning, shortly after transferring Orky and Corky, Marineland’s killer whale stars, to Sea World in San Diego.

“They have blown it badly, not just with us, but with everybody,” Hughes said. “This may address the question of the animal care facility, but it really doesn’t address the loss of the educational institution.”

Building Proposals

The proposal, according to Janice Hines of Edelman Public Relations, which has been hired recently to represent Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, includes an offer to build a 900-square-foot classroom facility and a 50-book library so that the animal care facility can be the focus of field trips by students.

A zoning change would be required if the animal care facility were located on the 108-acre Marineland site, which is currently zoned for commercial and recreational uses. In addition, the California Coastal Commission and the U.S. Marine Fisheries Service would have to approve the proposal.

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich announced that it would attempt to sell the Marineland site shortly after it was closed in February.