25 Feb 2015
Captive cetacean debate "back on the table" following beluga whale death
BY Tom Anstey
The captive cetacean debate has reared its head again following the death of a beluga whale – loaned to Orlando SeaWorld from Vancouver Aquarium – after an encounter with other animals in the tank.
SeaWorld officials said the whale died at the estimated age of 31-32. It had been undergoing treatment for an infection caused by a broken jaw that occurred after its encounter with two other whales in captivity. Cetacean advocates say that the incident is one that would never have occurred in the wild and was a result of direct proximity.
A ruling by the Vancouver Park Board banning the breeding of captive cetaceans collapsed in November, when the board tried to push the ruling through at the last minute. At the outgoing board's final meeting before the current board took over this year, outgoing commissioner Sarah Blyth tried to push through a vote on the ban, but NPA commissioner Melissa de Genova questioned the timing of Blyth's motion, which ultimately failed.
Park Board chair John Coupar said following the latest incident, that despite the “very unfortunate” events, his position had not changed since he voted to overturn the ban in November, adding “there’s a lot of work to be done around a lot of other issues.”
However Park Board commissioner, Michael Wibe, said: “The conversation has obviously been brought back to the table.”
When the ban was overturned, a motion was passed to review the policy of cetaceans in captivity in 2015, so changes to its policy could theoretically be made during the course of the next year.
The aquarium now owns eight belugas, four of which are in Orlando SeaWorld. Two are in Georgia Aquarium, and the other two live in the Vancouver aquarium. A post-mortem examination is scheduled on the dead beluga, but results are not expected for six to eight weeks.
SeaWorld in particular is under extreme pressure of its treatment of cetaceans in the wake of the Blackfish documentary, which implied life in captivity drove an orca mad and was the reason it killed trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010. The park has responded to criticism by announcing multi-million dollar plans to expand its orca habitats, but has seen tumbling shares, loss of major sponsors and forced budget cuts, as well as the resignation of its CEO last month.
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