 In
1964, the Vancouver Aquarium (VA) commissioned a whaler named S. Burich,
to kill an orca off the coast of British Columbia. The plan was to
use the dead whale as a mold for a fiberglass sculpture to hang from
the ceiling at the VA. The whaler harpooned a young male orca off
Saturna Island, but did not kill him. The VA ordered the whaler to
drag this wounded orca by the harpoon rope through rough seas 80 nautical
miles to Vancouver. The orca was then put on display in a seapen in
the Burrard Drydocks until he died three months later.
Despite protests at that time from Vancouver's animal advocacy groups,
thousands of people came to see this wounded orca in the seapen, and the business of
keeping whales and dolphins in captivity was born. Since then, the VA has displayed orcas,
beluga whales, and various species of dolphins. The VA also tried to display narwhals but
was unsuccessful at keeping them alive after capturing them in the Canadian Arctic.
"Aquariums, particularly marine mammals circus acts, are bound to
disappear as the public is educated and revolts against it."
Jean-Michel Cousteau |
Records are not clear onto how many cetaceans have died at the VA
because some animals were temporarily kept there before being shipped to another facility.
However, according to local activists, the VA has killed 24 to 26 cetaceans to date. What
is clearly documented is the dismal birth mortality rate at the VA. Three orcas and one
beluga were born there only to die shortly after birth.
The VA is funded
by Canadian taxpayers through government grants and corporate donations, but they cater to
tourism coming mostly from the USA. 70% of visitors to the VA are from outside Canada.
Vancouverites have shown throughout the years that they strongly oppose keeping
wildlife in captivity. In 1992 the city banned performing animals in circuses. In 1993 the
public zoo was closed down by a public referendum vote. In 1996 a bylaw was enacted which
prohibits the VA from capturing wild whales and dolphins.
The obvious intent of this bylaw is to phase out the whale exhibits in Vancouver.
However, disregarding Vancouverites wishes, the VA is searching for a captive orca from
another facility to replace the male orca who died in October 1997.
Please write to
A copy of your letter to
Help us stop the importation of more dolphins into Stanley Park.
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