The Vancouver Aquarium has made a major revelation today. They will no longer display cetaceans at the Vancouver Aquarium.
The Aquarium made the announcement Thursday, noting that they are opting to put an end to the program, despite it having “overwhelming support” year after year.
This is not to say, however, that the Aquarium’s rescue and rehabilitation arm will no longer care for whales and dolphins. As the Aquarium notes, they will do so for short-term cases, and then seek other venues for transferring cetaceans that need long-term care.
The Aquarium explains: “Rescued animals are transferred to the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre – located outside Stanley Park – for critical, short-term care, with the aim to rehabilitate and release back to the wild. Should a rescued cetacean need ongoing care, the animal care team will identify an appropriate long-term facility and work to arrange for a transfer of the patient.”
The Aquarium acknowledges that this is quite a shift for the organization, however, it is “a move that is in line with our commitment to our community, country, and to the world’s oceans.”
Additionally, the Vancouver Aquarium shared the following video regarding their new approach to cetacean care.
