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Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters
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Aurora, the Vancouver Aquarium's last beluga whale, dead at 30 November 25, 2016 CBC News Aurora, the last remaining beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium, passed away Friday night. The aquarium confirmed the 30-year-old whale passed away after having been sick for the past two weeks, showing symptoms of abdominal cramping, loss of appetite and lethargy. It comes nearly a week after her calf, Qila — the first beluga whale conceived and born in captivity at a Canadian aquarium — died at 21 years old. Last week the aquarium said Aurora became ill the day after Qila died, experiencing the same symptoms as Qila. "We will continue to investigate the cause or causes of Qila and Aurora's sudden illness," the aquarium said in a statement. The aquarium also said a necropsy will be performed Saturday to look into the exact cause of death. The aquarium said Aurora received dedicated around-the-clock care by staff and a veterinary team up until her death. Lab tests were also sent to veterinary experts around the world during the course of the treatment. "To our team, Aurora was a part of our family and her loss is absolutely heartbreaking," the aquarium said in a statement. "The marine mammal care team working night and day to care for her are our true heroes, even if we lost the battle." Aurora was from the Western Hudson Bay population of beluga whales. The average lifespan of a beluga from this population is 15 years living in the wild, but some have been known to live as long as 40 or 50 years, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Aurora first arrived at the Vancouver Aquarium in 1990. Comment: This is a heartbreaking tragedy. That we exploit these highly intelligent and emotional beings by keeping them in captivity is beyond appalling and unethical. It's a crime against humanity. March 2017 Good news - Vancouver Park Board votes to end display of cetaceans at aquarium. In a unanimous vote, the Vancouver Park Board has decided to change its bylaws to end the display of live cetaceans at the Vancouver Aquarium. "It is just time for us not to have cetaceans in captivity," said Commissioner John Coupar. "Times have changed." August 31, 2020 The Vancouver Aquarium has announced it is pausing all public programming and closing its doors to the public as of Sept. 8 in order to transition to a new model of operation. https://globalnews.ca/news/7307821/vancouver-aquarium-closing/ April 08 2014 End whale and dolphin captivity at Vancouver Aquarium Blackfish documentary http://blackfishmovie.com/ Read more on our Animal Exploitation page |