|
|
Vancouver Aquarium Expansion
posted on October 17, 2005
OPEN LETTER
October 17, 2005
To: Vancouver Park Board Commissioners
From: Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce Foundation
Re: To Expand or Not to Expand - That Should be the Referendum Question
The recent imprisonment of two more dolphins looks like they are up to their old tricks to overcrowd the dolphin pools in order to get public sympathy for a multi-million dollar aquarium expansion. The expansion would result in more dolphin suffering, new zoo animal prisons and the destruction of precious Stanley Park land.
Was this Board aware of this secret plan to bring in dolphins from Japan? If not, I urge you to ask them why the Board was not advised. What do they mean that it was a "staff safety" issue? Are the Aquarium spin-doctors trying to portray credible organizations that protect animals as terrorists? Are they trying to discredit their opposition to expand their dolphin slave trade business?
The self-righteous claims by Aquarium officials that they have public support to do what ever they want must be challenged with a referendum question. It doesn't matter how many visitors and tourists they can con. The tourists do not know the truth or there are those who would imprison their grandmothers to make a buck. The goal of the Aquarium and Zoo Industry is "Money Not Morals".
On one hand Aquarium claims "our ideal a grouping of six or seven animals, as they are a very social species." While on the other hand aquariums are not "oceans" that could provide enough space for complex cetacean social groups. They have never provided for the social and behavioural needs. White Wings, a Pacific white-sided dolphin, was kept with orcas not his own kind. Are they now admitting that they were wrong? Further, they continue to split up families due to abnormal aggression from overcrowding, for breeding and to continue the worldwide dolphin slave trade.
So the Vancouver Aquarium is now conducting experiments with notorious Japan? Under the guise of "scientific research" Japan continues to slaughter whales and dolphins to eat. Further, the Japanese fisheries brutally kill thousands of dolphins while aquariums take some to financially support this cruelty. Dolphins sent to Vancouver will be replaced by Japan capturing more wild dolphins. The Japanese government would obviously claim that the dolphins were not releasable. They imprison and eat dolphins - they don't release them. The Vancouver Aquarium would also claim that their captives couldn't be released.
Field studies on preventing net entanglement have been conducted for years. Lifeforce has also developed methods to keep cetaceans away from environmental hazards. Studies with captive dolphins would not depict actual problems and is not necessary.
Aquariums and zoos are claiming that they are great conservationists. They even steal and take credit for work that Lifeforce pioneered. For example, the Lifeforce Whale and Dolphin Hot Line have been taking calls for sightings, stranding and harassment for 13 years. The Vancouver Aquarium now gets lucrative government funding for a similar program.
The Vancouver Civic Election
The Vancouver Aquarium's imprisonment of dolphins and their proposed expansion must be dealt with during this election. The Aquarium has started with the Discovery Education Centre (freeing up space for new exhibits) and wants to be finished by the Winter Olympics. How much money has already been committed by the various government agencies that usually pay the bills?
If the Vancouver Aquarium expands again the dolphins and other animals will suffer while precious Stanley Park will be negatively impacted.
The referendum question should be:
DO YOU SUPPORT THE VANCOUVER AQUARIUM'S EXPANSION PLANS THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO BRING IN MORE WHALES AND DOLPHINS, IMPRISON NEW ZOO ANIMALS AND DESTROY PRECIOUS STANLEY PARK LAND?
THE FACTS:
1. Aquarium Expansions are not allowed in the Lease Agreement but the Aquarium gain more land through loopholes. The major expansion, not publicly approved, was the fake Salmon Stream that doubled their land control while opening the area for more animal exhibits. The area was supposed to have been returned to green space.
2. The Aquarium Expansions failed to phase out the captivity of whales and dolphins. Previous Expansions did not improve conditions for the captives. Bigger pools mean more captive whales and other marine mammals. Future generations of free-living marine wildlife will continue to be exploited because Aquariums depend on wild captures.
3. The proposed Aquarium Expansion would destroy acres of precious green space in Stanley Park. As a National Historic Site, Stanley Park is a free ecology classroom with a diversity of wildlife and natural habitats - a gift of nature providing a vital link between people and wildlife. The park is a true legacy and an urban sanctuary that is now threatened. Stanley Park must be protected for future generations.
4. Vancouver residents voted against a zoo in Stanley Park. The proposed Aquarium plans would expand their zoo business by imprisoning zoo species. The public had previously VOTED NO TO ZOOs!
5. The proposed Aquarium expansion will cause the continued physical suffering, psychological suffering and premature deaths of whales and dolphins. The Aquarium has stated that they would continue to imprison these sentient creatures for profit and entertainment. Inhumane breeding trades would continue to separate mothers and babies - it must be stopped.
This Board has the opportunity to protect the animals and Stanley Park. We urge you to put a Whale and Park Referendum question before the voters. The voiceless animals and Stanley Park are depending on you. |
| |
| |
|
|
