Vancouver Aquarium supporters will hold rally before park board vote on whale and dolphin ban

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      For decades, opponents of keeping cetaceans in concrete tanks have been staging anticaptivity protests outside the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park.

      But tonight, aquarium supporters will hold a rally at the Ceperly playground shortly before a historic park board vote to ban the display of whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

      Staff have drafted an amendment to the parks control bylaw to prohibit cetaceans from being brought into public parks.

      Commissioners will also vote on a staff recommendation to outlaw "a show, performance, or other form of entertainment, which includes one or more cetaceans" in public parks.

      Vancouver Aquarium CEO John Nightingale has claimed that this bylaw will prevent his organization from bringing rescued whales, dolphins, and porpoises to the facility, which would undermine the institution's "mission". He has also stated that this will have financial implications for the aquarium.

      In the drafting of the amendment, park board staff appear to be anticipating the possibility of a legal challenge.

      "A decision by a court that any part of this By-law is illegal, void, or unenforceable severs that part from this By-law, and is not to affect the balance of this By-law," the amendment states.

      Last week, more than two dozen animal-welfare and animal-research organizations from several countries signed a letter to park commissioners thanking them for voting in March to end the captivity of cetaceans at the aquarium.

      "We salute all Commissioners for their votes that demonstrate their awareness and recognition of the inappropriateness of keeping cetaceans in captivity," they stated. "In so doing, your historic decision will make Vancouver the place to be to experience wildlife living freely, in keeping with your public trust responsibilities."

      The letter also urged the board "to keep the final bylaw simple and not add any exemptions such as rescue, research or captive-born cetaceans in the future".  

      "Cetaceans simply do not do well in captivity in concrete tanks, and the practice should be stopped as soon as possible," they added. "The Vancouver Aquarium will still have three cetaceans in captivity—a dolphin, a porpoise, and a false killer whale.  We would strongly urge alternative housing for them—preferably retirement to a seaside sanctuary, but at least some other facility that includes others of their own species to interact with. However, we take solace that this is part of the phase out of live cetacean exhibits and no more cetaceans will suffer from captivity in Vancouver's small tanks."

      The letter also stated that there are alternatives, such as life-sized models of mechanical cetaceans or exhibits featuring virtual reality, which could replace the display of live whales, dolphins, and porpoises. 

      In a separate letter, Lifeforce founder Peter Hamilton told commissioners that the aquarium should be looking for sea pens for its existing cetaceans and for keeping any rescued cetaceans in the future.

      "The VA has noisy public crowds all day and most evenings," Hamilton wrote. "Studies have shown that dolphins develop ulcers after being put on public display."

      The last two belugas at the aquarium, Aurora and Quila, died in November. That came three months after the death of a harbour porpoise at the aquarium named Jack, and 18 months after an aquarium-housed dolphin named Hana passed away following surgery.

      In 2014 a park board report revealed that the aquarium owned six beluga whales that were being kept at U.S. facilities. Since then, one of those animals has died.

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