AMERICAN ANIMAL ADVOCATES GIVE THUMBS DOWN TO BELUGA TRANSFER - Humane Society notes Aquarium's Imaq captured in wild

THE HUMANE SOCIETY of the United States is opposing the possible move of Imaq, a male beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium, to SeaWorld San Diego. 

Last week was the deadline for submissions to the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, which must approve an application by SeaWorld to import Imaq from Canada. The service also heard from several conservation groups including the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, an international conservation and mammal welfare organization, and Vancouver's Coalition for No Whales in Captivity. 

In a letter to the U.S. service, Dr. Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist with the U.S. Humane Society, admitted SeaWorld's application does not involve removing animals from the wild, which would render the application invalid under U.S. law. "However, Imaq, the beluga whale in question, was in fact captured from the wild, in Churchill, Manitoba, in 1990," Rose writes. "Although he has spent the last 12 years in captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium, this interim period does not somehow negate that he was originally removed from the wild." 

In a March press release, Clint Wright, vice president of operations and animal management at the Aquarium, said Imaq would not be sold but would be on temporary loan to SeaWorld with the intention of bringing him back. 

Annelise Sorg, director of the Coalition for No Whales in Captivity, said while Aquarium staff label the transfer of whales as "loans". as far as she knows, no whale has ever been returned to Canada once it has left the Aquarium. Another male beluga, Nanuq, is on loan to SeaWorld San Diego as part of an international beluga management program. 

Last April Bjossa, a female Icelandic orca, was transferred to SeaWorld San Diego after more than 20 years at Vancouver Aquarium. Already suffering from a long-term illness, Bjossa died in October 2001, only months after her transfer. 

"We question the Aquarium's claim that male beluga whales are being shipped to the U.S. on breeding loans. It seems odd that SeaWorld in San Diego, where three males but only one female are currently displayed, would need to add a fourth male to it's collection for breeding purposes," Sorg said. "Furthermore, we would expect that since the (U.S.) Marine Mammal Protection Act does not allow captive marine mammals to be shipped to Canada from the U.S. at this time, the protection of the act would extend to Imaq and Nanuq, regardless of where the animals were obtained from in the first place." 

Despite the protests, Sorg said she's confident the application will get the green light from the NMFS. 

"I'm sure it will be approved," she said. "There's not much we can do but voice our concerns." 

Sorg said although the Aquarium built the beluga display pool in 1988 to hold three whales, during the last decade, the Aquarium has kept as many as six beluga whales at one time and used the reserve tank frequently. The aquarium's two male belugas, Imaq and Nanuq, were warehoused together for two years in the reserve tank before Nanuq was shipped to SeaWorld in 1997. Presently, Imaq has been kept in that tank for several months. 

Aquarium spokeswoman Angela Nielsen said Imaq is being housed in the reserve tank to protect his mate Aurora, who is pregnant and due at the end of July. 

"He's into two things - eating and females," she said. "We had to separate him from her in case he bumps her." 

Nielsen said there are no plans to move Imaq at the moment, but admits the application process has been started in case there is a need to. In some cases male belugas will become aggressive or violent to new calves and if that turns out to be the case, Imaq will be shipped to San Diego. 

"This is strictly precautionary. We have to wait and see what happens. The process takes four months so it was decided to start that now just in case we need to move him," she said. "But right now that is not the plan."

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