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Vancouver Aquarium's 36th Dolphin Death
posted on June 23, 2010
VANCOUVER, BC — Another cetacean died at Vancouver Aquarium. Nala, who was Vancouver Aquarium’s youngest beluga whale, born June, 2009, died June 21st. This is the 36th death of a dolphin since the Vancouver Aquarium started their aquatic circus business in 1964. (See 36 Reasons ...)
The physical and psychological needs of these intelligent, social dolphins cannot be provide for in aquarium prisons. It’s life in a toilet bowl for them.
This baby was reported “sick” for two weeks and then died from respiratory failure. There was foreign matter (two rocks and a penny) lodged in the whale's airway. The airway became inflamed, leading to an accumulation of fluid in Nala's lungs.
In 2002 a Pacific white-sided dolphin died of respiratory failure when staff repeatedly put their arm down the throat to remove pool debris/foreign matter from the stomach.
Since pool debris is a major problem with captive dolphins the Aquarium should have been more thorough in their medical examinations. In addition large signs should have been posted warning visitors of the obvious endangerment of the belugas if objects are thrown into the pool (According to some media no signs were visable on June 22). It is also irresponsible to allow the public to get close to the belugas and other captives.Aquatic zoos must have barriers similar to zoo ones.
The Aquarium dolphin breeding programs have been a failure since beginning in 1964. No successful orca births (3 died) and no successful Pacific white-sided dolphins. Now four of six baby belugas have died. In addition, if the baby(s) survive, then families are split up. The father, Imaq and a female, “ Kavna” are kept in a tiny pool out of public view. Lifeforce has been trying to stop the Vancouver Aquarium from sending the father, Imaq, to the infamous US Sea World entertainment business.
The Vancouver Aquarium should stop their exploitation of belugas and other dolphins. Their captive dolphins continue to suffer and die prematurely.
Lifeforce is continuing:
1. To urge that all dolphin imprisonment be phased out.
2. To attempt to stop the export of the only male beluga from the Vancouver Aquarium to the infamous Sea World entertainment business.
3. To campaign to stop the $120 million Vancouver Aquarium expansion that would imprison more dolphins and other animals such as river otters. It was planned for the 2010 Olympics.
See: 36 Reasons To Boycott The Vancouver Aquarium
 Download 36REASONSJUNE2010.pdf
See: Previous June 2009 Beluga Birth Statement.
See: Globe and Mail artcle Activist Criticism.
Video: Belugas: Far From Home. |
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