REPORT: Vancouver Aquarium Protest (Oct. 7-8/00)

Dear All,

Just a quick report to let you know that our weekend-long protest went really well and to thank those of you who participated in the events.

Early on Saturday morning, we transported the 4' x 7' metal cage to Stanley Park and placed it right outside the Vancouver Aquarium's front door where John Maté and Robert Light spent the next 2 days/1 night locked inside. The cage was decorated with banners saying "No New Dolphins" and "Send Bjossa Home". Bjossa is the sole surviving captive orca in Vancouver, "Home" is the coastal waters off Iceland.

On Saturday night, 8 protesters handed anti-captivity information to almost 1000 patrons of the Vancouver International Film Festival entering the Aquarium to attend their annual gala event. The leaflets urged the Film Festival to move this event next year to a venue where no dolphins are kept captive. After receiving our leaflets, many of the patrons expressed strong support for our position and some of them even missed the party that night by refusing to step inside the Aquarium. We have high hopes that the Aquarium won't get the Film Festival's business next year.

On Sunday at noon, about 50 protesters with placards crowded around the cage for a rally to urge the Aquarium to send Bjossa home and to stop plans to fill the whale tank with new dolphins. We handed out more info and collected hundreds of signatures on petitions.

We also had lots of media coverage all weekend long. On both protest days, BCTV (the most watched TV News in British Columbia) showed news reports highlighting interviews with people who had changed their plans to visit the Aquarium after receiving information on the cruelty of keeping dolphins in captivity.

On a sad note, Bjossa is still very sick. She has had respiratory problems all year long and she's still in the back area of the main pool partly restricted from public view and not doing her regular 4 whale shows a day. Due to her poor health, the Aquarium announced on the weekend that she won't be shipped to Sea World in San Diego before January or February 2001. I will send out another Action Alert soon urging you to write letters to help stop these plans.

Many thanks again to all of you who helped organize and make this weekend a success for the dolphins.

Posted by Annelise Sorg <annelise@direct.ca> Coalition For No Whales In Captivity