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The Vancouver Aquarium announced this morning that they are voluntarily choosing to no longer be displaying cetaceans, including whales and dolphins.
The aquarium’s announcement said that the decision was a difficult one to make and that independent polling showed overwhelming support for their cetacean program.
Despite enacting a ban on displaying cetaceans in captivity, Helen, a Pacific white-sided dolphin that was rescued by the aquarium, as well as future rescues requiring their facilities, will be the exception.
The aquarium did say it will be working on the best possible arrangements for Helen in the future. After being rescued from a fishing net in Japan, she has been in professional care since 2005, and only has partial flippers.
She is not a candidate for release, but since dolphins are a social species, finding a companion for her will be crucial.
The aquarium says that moving forward they will focus on raising awareness of the many ocean issues impacting other vulnerable marine animals.
“The ongoing discussions about whales and dolphins in our care have been a distraction from real threats to the ocean and have sidelined the critical work we lead. We aim to inspire people in every corner of the planet to participate in creating healthy oceans, and it’s time to get on with it,” says the aquarium.
The aquarium also announced that this fall construction of a Canada’s Arctic exhibit will begin. The planned exhibit, which is scheduled to open in 2019, aims to create awareness about the challenges facing Canada’s fragile North.
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