Park board’s aquarium interference must stop
Popular facility’s research is highly valuable, writes
The future of the Vancouver Aquarium is once again being placed in jeopardy by Vancouver park board commissioners. They have unanimously moved to prepare a bylaw banning cetacean captivity in Stanley Park. Park board members, present and future, pose the greatest danger to the Vancouver Aquarium’s continuing success. They have no experience in aquarium management and no knowledge of what is required for the success of any aquarium.
The aquarium is a jewel in Vancouver’s crown. It has operated successfully for over 60 years. It is entirely self-supporting, never having asked for any support from any level of government or any private agency. It attracts over 2 million visitors a year. It supports educational training for all levels of B.C. students. Now it needs protection from irresponsible park board members.
It is only three years since a previous park board listened to the usual group of protesters following which they passed a ridiculous bylaw prohibiting whales being born in captivity. Was the aquarium supposed to build separate boy and girl pools to prevent sexual activity? Or did the park board members believe that a birth control pill for cetaceans could easily be developed? Fortunately, this bylaw could not withstand a legal challenge, so a court case to protect the aquarium was not necessary.
It is not sufficient for Vancouver voters to defeat all the current park board members. The aquarium needs permanent protection from this now established pattern of park board interference. The City of Vancouver and the B.C. government are vital stakeholders in the future of the aquarium. So are all members of the public. Aquarium supporters need to make their voices heard now. Action is required to eliminate the park board problem. This can be done through a long-term contract between the aquarium and the B.C. government.
The current park board bylaw banning cetaceans will have a deep impact on the important research being done at the aquarium. It will devastate the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre which is the only marine mammal hospital of its kind in Canada. The aquarium may no longer be able to rescue stranded whales, dolphins and porpoises that are injured or sick.
It was the capture and care of a killer whale in 1964 that vaulted the aquarium from obscurity to international fame. It is still regarded as the world leader in cetacean research. The capture was providential. Killer whales were then the most feared and hated species on the planet.
Murray Newman, the legendary first curator, wanted to put a statue of one on display at the aquarium but so little was known about them he first needed to get a dead specimen to make an accurate replica.
I was recruited to be part of the project. The harpoon that was supposed to dispatch the whale passed harmlessly through its blubber in the nape of the neck, effectively creating a leash. Murray and I decided on the spot to try to bring the whale into captivity.
David Wallace, the owner of Burrard Drydock, made his facility available to house the whale, later named Moby Doll, on a temporary basis. He permitted an open house which drew 10,000 visitors who were the first ever to get a close-up view of a killer whale. Moby Doll outdrew the Beatles in their only Van- couver performance.
Moby Doll refused food for the first 45 days but finally accepted a fish offered from a pole. Once this milestone was reached, it was realized that killer whales could be domesticated. A total of 32 aquariums around the world put them on display. Millions of people came to see them, learn of their adaptability, and enjoy their spectacular performances. As a result, attitudes about them completely changed.
Murray Newman has been succeeded by John Nightingale, a curator of even greater visionary capacity. The aquarium is part way through a multi-million dollar capital expenditure program, $25 million of which is allotted for expanded cetacean facilities. The park board is undermining this vital and ambitious program.
The politically correct, who are a self-appointed fringe group, have claimed that it is cruel to have cetaceans in captivity. What basis do they have to make such a claim? Do they have divine knowledge of the minds of cetaceans? Do they somehow know whether cetaceans prefer the relentless pursuit of food and avoidance of predators in the wild, rather than being secure and looked after in captivity? And how do they know that cetaceans are somehow different from all other species that are looked after in aquariums and zoos all over the world?
The facts are, that in captivity, whales and dolphins show no signs of stress. They obviously enjoy putting on performances for their trainers and visitors. Moreover, they have abundant access to the three most important requirements of all mammals: food, activity and sex.
Park board commissionaires wish to prevent people from seeing cetaceans up close and interacting with them. They are careful not to criticize the advances in knowledge that have resulted from studying them in captivity. Their intention is simply to prevent people from learning anything further about them in this way. That would include developing an understanding of their language so in future we could communicate with them.
Murray Newman and Moby Doll are heroes for changing forever our knowledge of killer whales. The Vancouver Aquarium already has a statue of Moby Doll. It needs one now of Murray Newman.
The politically correct, who are a self-appointed fringe group, have claimed that it is cruel to have cetaceans in captivity. What basis do they have to make such a claim? Do they have divine knowledge of the minds of cetaceans? Patrick McGeer