Aquarium agrees to ban on cetaceans
Organization cites change in public opinion and distraction it caused for turnabout
By reluctantly agreeing to a ban on keeping cetaceans in captivity, the Vancouver Aquarium hopes to “get on with” its expansion plans, which will no longer include belugas or dolphins.
The cetacean controversy “left us in limbo,” Chief Operating Officer Clint Wright said.
“We’re taking back control, and we’re moving forward.”
The about-face on keeping cetaceans comes after the Ocean Wise Conservation Association, which runs the popular tourist attraction, filed a legal action against the ban passed by the Vancouver park board last spring.
Aquarium CEO John Nightingale said the decision to accept the ban was made by senior leadership and the board of directors after months of discussion. He cited a change in public opinion, the loss of donations from “a couple” of major philanthropists and possibly a drop in gate admissions for the change.
“I am disappointed, we all are disappointed,” Nightingale said before informing aquarium staff Thursday morning.
He said “most” of the 500 staff members were against banning cetaceans at the Stanley Park attraction and research facility, but he knows there are some staff who support the ban.
Reaction to Thursday’s announcement was mixed.
“Oh my god, really? That’s such a relief,” said Annelise Sorg, president of No Whales in Captivity, after learning about the decision.
Sorg said she was disappointed it seemed to be financial considerations forcing the aquarium to accept the ban, rather than “concern for cetaceans.”
“I’m disappointed that they didn’t come out and say they were ending captivity because it is cruel,” she said.
Animal Justice called the decision a “tremendous victory for the thousands of compassionate citizens who stood up against the cruel practice of keeping smart, sentient whales and dolphins imprisoned in tiny tanks.”
In a statement, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) said it was “disappointing” the public would no longer see whales and dolphins “up close” at the Vancouver Aquarium.
“When your choices are continuing to do important research and to educate the public on the wonders of the ocean, or going to jail under a misguided bylaw, it is not much of a choice,” said the statement from Dan Ashe, president and CEO of AZA.
“There is no doubt deciding to discontinue having whales and dolphins at the aquarium is an agonizing one that they were forced to make.”
Nightingale said the issue was a distraction for the facility’s education, conservation and research work.
“Things have changed in Vancouver in the court of public opinion,” he said.
He also said there was “no appreciable change” in donations overall. However, a “couple of philanthropists” refused to make their usual contributions, but not because the aquarium kept whales and dolphins.
“No, because of the controversy,” he said. “Because of the sense in the community that no matter what you talk about — science, education, research — the topic gets yanked back to ‘Is the whales and dolphins display at the aquarium proper or appropriate or OK.’”
Five cetaceans died at the aquarium over 18 months.
That included the “unprecedented” death of two belugas nine days apart in November 2016, which “leaves us with a very bad taste in our mouths,” Nightingale said.
An investigation determined they died from a toxin but it was never determined where the toxin came from.
In addition to the deaths of belugas Aurora, 30, and her calf Qila, 21, the aquarium also lost Chester, a false killer whale in November; Daisy, a harbour porpoise in June; and Jack, a harbour porpoise in August 2016.
Only Helen, a Pacific white-sided dolphin, remains in the pool, and it’s not clear where she will live.
Wright said the dolphin is being “watched very closely,” with staff checking on her day and night.
While dolphins are social animals and staff would like to see Helen kept with other dolphins, there is not a “burning urgency” to transfer her from Vancouver. The aquarium wants to explore all available options.
“At the end of the day, we want to do what’s best for her,” Wright said.
He dismissed the idea Helen could be sent to a “sanctuary” somewhere, as some activists have suggested.
“It’s really a fantasy to think that these animals could just go off to a giant ocean playground,” he said, adding the old dolphin is accustomed to living in an aquarium where she is fed and cared for. She would not survive in the wild.
The aquarium’s marine mammal rescue program will also continue to rehabilitate animals, including cetaceans, with the objective of release back to the wild.
“Should a rescued cetacean require ongoing care, our team will identify an appropriate long-term facility and arrange for transfer of the patient, which may include temporary housing at the aquarium’s unique facility,” said Nightingale in a letter sent to aquarium supporters Thursday.
In May, the park board voted to ban the import or display of cetaceans in city parks, and a month later the aquarium asked the B.C. Supreme Court for a judicial review of the board’s change of the bylaw.
Nightingale said the issue has been heard in court and a decision is expected within six months.
Even though the aquarium accepts the ban, the legal fight is important because the aquarium opposed the park board using a bylaw to alter its lease, which expires in 2030.
“What’s being challenged is: Is it appropriate for a government entity to use a bylaw to tear up a contract?” he said.
Nightingale said no staff will be laid off and the aquarium will continue its expansion plans. Construction had already begun for an Arctic display that would have included beluga whales.
“We are still absolutely committed to a major Arctic exhibition” but it will have to be redesigned without cetaceans at a considerable cost, Nightingale said. The design and pre-construction has so far reached upwards of $8 million.
“That’s money that’s now lost and we would not want to waste any more,” he said.
The aquarium’s $100-million project, approved in 2006 by the park board, was to include new buildings and larger whale tanks. The aquarium had planned next year to bring back five belugas on loan to U.S. breeding programs and phase out captive whales by 2029.
Wright said while animals for the updated Arctic exhibit are still being determined, they will fit with the aquarium’s conservation and research needs. It’s likely walruses and seals, both under siege by climate change, could be part of it.