I am writing to ask for your support. For many years, Vancouver NGO Coalition for No Whales in Captivity has worked tirelessly to put an end to the importation of dolphins and whales into the Vancouver Aquarium. With the help of many local and international groups, the aquarium finally agreed to close the orca whale display tank in 2001. Unfortunately, the aquarium has not extended this compassionate act to other cetacean species and they have continued to breed and trade beluga whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins for display.
In the wild, dolphins and belugas are fast moving, far-ranging, deep diving predators. In captivity, they are confined to small, featureless tanks that bear scant resemblance to their ocean homes. These animals easily travel more than 100 kilometers in a single day. To cover the same distance, the animals at Vancouver Aquarium would have to circle their tank hundreds of times.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) was not surprised to learn that Hanna, a 12 year old dolphin at the Vancouver Aquarium, suffered from her second failed miscarriage in the past two years. Six out of seven captive born whales and dolphins have died at the aquarium in Stanley Park . When will the exploitation of these intelligent sentient beings come to an end?
WSPA believes that even the best environments provided by marine parks and aquariums fail to meet the complex physical and behavioral needs of cetaceans. As such, we support the campaign efforts of the Coalition for No Whales in Captivity to END THE IMPORTATION OF BELUGA WHALES AND DOLPHINS INTO THE VANCOUVER AQUARIUM..
If you agree that whales and dolphins suffer as a result of being kept in captivity, then please join us in supporting this campaign by signing your name to the attached letter and sending it via email, mail or fax to the address/numbers indicated below*:
nowhalesincaptivity@yahoo.ca
Phone/Fax: 604-515-8202
COALITION FOR NO WHALES IN CAPTIVITY
Box 16021 , 617 Belmont Street
New Westminster , B.C. V3M 6W6
Canada
For more information on the cruelty of keeping whales and dolphins in captivity in Stanley Park , please visit www.nowhalesincaptivity.org and www.whaleprotection.org
Thank you in advance for your support. By working together we can make faster and longer lasting progress for captive cetaceans.
Silia Smith
Regional Direction, World Society for the Protection of Animals
Josey Kitson
Project Manager, World Society for the Protection of Animals
For more information a report entitled The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity was released by WSPA in 2006 in conjunction with the Humane Society of the United States. It can be found at www.nomorewhales.ca.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) works to raise the standards of animal welfare throughout the world. WSPA holds consultative status with the United Nations and observer status with the Council of Europe, and is the worldʼs largest international federation of welfare organizations. Headquartered in the UK with offices in 13 countries, WSPA works towards building a united global animal welfare movement with compassion and action through partnerships with 774 animal organizations in 147 countries. www.wspa.ca
The Coalition for No Whales in Captivity believes that whales and dolphins are best left to live wild and free in their natural habitat. We are grass-roots, volunteer-based, non-profit society founded in 1992. Since then, we have stopped the Vancouver Aquarium from importing orcas into Stanley Park but we need to help to stop bringing other dolphin species into captivity in order to phase out the marine mammal exhibits at the Aquarium. www.nowhalesincaptivity.org
* Please note that your organizations name may be used in correspondence with government and/or media to indicate the level of support this campaign has received from businesses and NGOs throughout the province of British Columbia.
OPEN LETTER TO THE AQUARIUM DIRECTORS
President and Directors
Vancouver Aquarium
PO Box 3232
Vancouver, BC
V6B 3X8
Dear Aquarium Directors,
The World Society for the Protection of Animals along with the ENGOʼs listed below believe that even the best environments provided by marine parks and aquariums, such as the Vancouver Aquarium, fail to meet the complex physical and behavioral needs of marine mammals. Cetaceans are sentient beings and should NOT be confined for public display purposes.
We have serious concerns regarding the import of Pacific white-sided dolphins from Japanese aquariums to the Vancouver Aquarium. These dolphins are NOT rescued. They are caught from the wild during Japanese drive fisheries, held captive in Japanese aquariums and later sold to Vancouver for public display. Not once in 50 years has the aquarium brought an injured whale or dolphin to Stanley Park for the purpose of rehabilitation. The Aquariumʼs ongoing captive breeding programs are also unsuccessful. Six out of seven captive born cetaceans have died at the aquarium.
A 2003 survey conducted by Zoocheck Canada found that 71% of Vancouver residents agreed that marine parks and aquariums fail to meet the complex physical and behavioral needs of marine mammals. Some 68% felt it inappropriate to keep whales and dolphins in captivity and 58.3% said theyʼd support laws banning all commercial use of captive whales and dolphins in Canada , which would include the keeping of whales and dolphins in captivity.
When will the Vancouver Aquarium say enough, and put a stop to the confinement of wild caught dolphins and breeding programs that end in the death of sentient beings?
We urge you to STOP the importation of dolphins and whales into Stanley Park and to phase out the existing exhibits.
Thank you on behalf of the dolphins and whales.