Premier Dalton McGuinty says he expects the Ontario government will eventually move to regulate zoos and aquariums, but not right away.

Some former employees of Marineland in Niagara Falls delivered a petition with 77,000 names to the legislature Monday urging the government to take immediate action to regulate zoos.

McGuinty says he appreciates the concerns behind the petition and his sense is the province will have to do something to regulate zoos and aquariums

But the premier says he wants to wait until the Society for the Protection of Animals completes its investigation and makes recommendations.

Phil Demers, a former animal trainer at Marineland, says he still wants to protect the animals from poor conditions at the park.

Demers says his heart is still breaking after watching dolphins swimming with their eyes squeezed shut because their water filtration system had broken down and was not repaired.

Jim Hammond says he quit after 11 years at Marineland because he could no longer bear to see animals not being properly cared for and housed in inappropriate settings.

Zoocheck Canada says anyone can open a zoo or aquarium in Ontario without facing regulations or standards to protect the animals or the staff.

It says zoos can even import tigers or cobras into the province without any permits.