Vancouver Courier July 16, 2003
By Sandra Thomas-Staff writer
Aquarium gets more flak for dolphins
Besides great apes and humans, dolphins are the only creatures
on earth that recognize themselves, says the man who for 10 years
captured and trained dolphins for the TV series Flipper.
"That was proven scientifically recently, but I knew it a
long time ago," says Richard O'Barry, a Florida-based marine-mammal
specialist with the World Society for the Protection of Animals.
"On Friday nights at 7:30, I used to get a long extension cord
and drag the TV out to the end of the dock and Flipper would come
and watch himself with me."
O'Barry, who captured and trained dolphins from 1960 to 1970, has
spent the past 33 years trying to make up for his previous career
by working as an environmentalist, rescuing and releasing dolphins
back to the wild. On Monday night, he plans to urge the parks board
to change its bylaws to prevent the Vancouver Aquarium and Marine
Science Centre from importing any new marine mammals.
"I feel a sense of responsibility for what I did," he
said. "In an aquarium, [dolphins are] surviving, not living.
In an aquarium they can't chase fish, go surfing or swim in a straight
line for 25 miles like they love to do."
The current bylaw, passed in September 1996, was originally worded
to ban future importation of cetaceans-dolphins, whales and porpoises-by
the Vancouver Aquarium, but a last-minute amendment by the board's
NPA majority permitted the aquarium to acquire animals already living
in captivity prior to 1996. One of the concerns, however, is that
if a dolphin is imported from a facility that doesn't impose the
same restrictions on capture, the vacancy could be filled by a wild
dolphin.
"I know there is a new park board and therein lies a lot of
hope that Vancouver finally has a board that will represent the
people," O'Barry said. "I have travelled all over the
world and the people of Vancouver are the most environmentally conscious
I've seen. I know they don't want to see mammals in captivity and
I know that without taking a referendum."
But president John Nightingale said the aquarium is sticking to
its plan to acquire more dolphins, including finding a mate for
Pacific white-sided dolphin Spinnaker.
He said the aquarium still has 13 years left on a 15-year lease
that allows the importation of dolphins caught before 1996, born
in captivity, rescued or stranded.
In August 2001, the aquarium acquired Spinnaker, who was caught
in a Japanese fishing net in 1990, without notifying the media or
parks board. Nightingale said aquarium staff are currently searching
the globe for other Pacific white-sided dolphins, which he adds
are very different from the Flipper-type dolphins O'Barry has experience
with.
"He has very limited experience in these types of dolphins,"
said Nightingale, who hasn't yet decided whether to attend Monday's
meeting. "These are not the same circus animals as the bottle-nosed
dolphins he works with. These dolphins live here."
Annelise Sorg, director of the Coalition for No Whales in Captivity,
is encouraged that the group has been permitted to speak about the
dolphin issue at Monday's meeting. "That's something the NPA
board rarely did."
Parks board vice-chair Anita Romaniuk said the board is anxious
to hear what Sorg and O'Barry have to say.
"I understand Annelise is bringing a lawyer who will be raising
questions regarding the current bylaw and the legality of the [aquarium's]
lease," she said. "They want to challenge the bylaw, but
legally our hands might be tied."
The World Society for the Protection of Animals and No Whales in
Captivity are not without influence-in 2001, the groups joined Zoocheck
Canada, the Animal Alliance of Canada and the Dolphin Project to
stop the Granby Zoo near Montreal from establishing a $12-million
dolphinarium.
O'Barry also plans to speak at the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium auditorium,
1100 Chestnut St., this Saturday (July 19) at 7 p.m. For more information,
call 604-736-9514.
-------------------Vancouver Courier letters to the editor editor@vancourier.com
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