Over the last few years, we’ve been watching the sun set on the practice of keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises — or cetaceans — in captive displays.
In Canada, there are only two facilities that still undertake this cruel practice: Marineland — a for-profit amusement park currently in court answering to 11 animal cruelty charges and no longer accredited within the industry — and Vancouver Aquarium, whose landlord has voted 6-1 to ban the import and display of cetaceans on its land.
Gabriola Vegeteers
May 19, 2017 at 1:43 pm
I have mixed feelings about this ban at the Vancouver aquarium because the aquarium serves as a rescue site for injured whales and dolphins much like the Salt Spring sanctuary helps injured seals and sea lions.
May 23, 2017 at 10:06 pm
Hi Debra, Thanks for your comment. From my understanding, they have a separate rescue and rehabilitation centre that is unaffected by the ban, but the ban will prevent them from keeping cetaceans who can’t be released into the wild in their Aquarium. More information here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-aquarium-cetacean-ban-1.4118824