- November 7, 2025
A federal bankruptcy judge in Delaware has rejected a $7.1 million bid to allow a local nonprofit the chance to bid on and purchase Marineland Dolphin Adventure.
The tourist attraction in Marineland has been open since 1938 but has deteriorated and is thousands of dollars behind in property taxes. Its parent company, The Dolphin Company, filed bankruptcy earlier this year and a mysterious company Delightful Development placed a $7.1 million bid to purchase the property.
The proposed sale of Marineland to a developer brought together a host of grass-roots efforts to save the attraction. Jack Kassewitz, with the nonprofit Global Heart, Inc., is leading the charge alongside an anonymous, private family who is funding a $4 million bid to purchase the property.
“This is David and Goliath,” Kassewitz said. “We're a bunch of people trying to save it, and we're up against the developers. And we had a major change yesterday. I feel very confident that we’re going to end up with Marineland.”
Because of the bankruptcy proceedings the sale must be approved by the judge in the case, in this case, Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein District of Delaware United States Bankruptcy Court.
Kassewitz and his team argued in the court hearing that it had been blocked from the bidding process and the judge, dissatisfied with the strictly real-estate transaction of the winning bid that did not answer her questions about the dolphins, halted the sale process. Another hearing in November is scheduled to reconsider the sale.
Kassewitz said he believes his group has a real chance of winning the bids.
“The judge said, they don't have to take the highest bidder. That's significant,” he said. “We have an opportunity to do something great for the dolphins."
Those who wish to donate to help save Marineland and the dolphins can go to savemarinelanddolphins.org which has information about the history of Dolphin Adventure, how to help and links to donate.
"The fight is not over," Kassewitz said.
Kassewitz has over 20 years of experience working with dolphins and works alongside his wife Donna Brewer Kassewitz with the dolphin communication research group Speak Dolphin, run by Global Heart.
Kassewitz said that he wants to keep the attraction operational, with the goal to introduce an animal-assisted therapy program and bring in therapists and health care professionals and university researchers. He has already reached out, he said, and there is interest, if they can successfully purchase the oceanarium.
He also wants to begin bringing in nonprofit organizations like Wounded Warriors, which works with injured veterans, as well.
When asked, by the judge and the Observer, if he thought his ideas for Marineland Dolphin Adventure would be successful, he said “absolutely yes.”
“It will be financially sustainable, and we will bring Marineland back to the greatness it once was,” Kassewitz said.
Former Marineland Park Director Felicia Cook – who left the facility in February to ensure staff members who could care for the dolphins could stay on – said there are 17 dolphins at Marineland, many of which were born at Marineland and a few who are third-generation Marineland dolphins. One such dolphin is Grandma Betty, whose daughter and granddaughter are also dolphins at Marineland.
Kassewitz said he was brought in by his friend and owner of JDI Marineland Jim Jacoby, who also owns the majority of the land in the Town of Marineland. Kassewitz said Jacoby asked him to the CEO if Jacoby were to repurchase Marinland and Kassewitz agreed, presuming Cook would also return to the site.
Cook, who said she was in the process of putting together investors to try and buy Marineland herself, agreed, but Jacoby could not raise the funding. Instead Kassewitz and Cook found an anonymous partner who is putting up $4 million to bid on the property and another $1.5 million for the cost of operations.
But Kassewitz and his group were blocked from placing a bid, he said. After the judge’s decision on Oct. 27, Kassewitz and his group will have another chance to place a bid.
If Marineland is sold to a developer, Cook said, when the dolphins are rehomed, the family units would likely be broken up. She said it would leave her brokenhearted to see the animals rehomed.
Cook believes Kassewitz’s vision of an animal-assisted therapy program could keep the oceanarium solvent as well: “it’s done in many places.” Overall, she said it was refreshing to hear the judge take up the interest of the dolphins’ care.
“It was like, ‘Okay, somebody finally gets it,’” she said. “This is about the land that’s right there on the ocean, it’s about the animals that are living there.”
