Park board commissioner seeks referendum on Vancouver Aquarium

[mr.x]

On the road to mediocrity...the same thing that happened to the Vancouver Zoo at Stanley Park?



Vancouver park board commissioner seeks referendum on holding whales, dolphins captive


By GERRY BELLETT, Vancouver Sun
July 14, 2010 5:02 PM

VANCOUVER -- Green Party park board commissioner Stuart McKinnon wants the board to ask the public whether the Vancouver Aquarium should end the practice of capturing whales and dolphins for public exhibition.

A motion will be put before the board at its Monday meeting seeking approval for a non-binding referendum on the issue to be included in the 2011 civic elections.

"It would be a referendum similar to the one which was passed in the '90s which resulted in the closing of the zoo," McKinnon said Wednesday.

He said he believes the public would be in favour of ending the practice of capturing whales and dolphins for exhibition.

"My motion is about the democratic process," he said. "The board has agreed it will renew the bylaw concerning captive cetaceans in 2015, and so the referendum should be held next year."

The proposed motion states that the board would hold a "plebiscite during the 2011 Vancouver civic elections asking the public if they are in favour of phasing out existing cetacean exhibits and ending future (further) containment of cetaceans on land leased by the Vancouver park board."

The Vancouver Aquarium is a major tourist attraction and the daily shows involving trained dolphins and beluga whales are its most popular displays.

The proposal calls for the shows to be phased out with no new whales or dolphins captured to replace those now at the aquarium, said McKinnon.

The aquarium is home to five beluga whales and three dolphins.

McKinnon agreed that ending the use of whales and dolphins would have a significant impact on the revenues raised by the aquarium.

"I suppose they would have to adjust their business plan. But the question really is: Is it correct to keep these animals in captivity because the business needs them?

"I don't believe we should do that. We voted to close the zoo for much the same reason," he said.

Annelies McConnachie-Howarth, a member of WhaleFriends, said it was necessary for the public to be asked if it wants to continue having whales and dolphins captured for display.

"People should be able to speak out against something they feel is inhumane," she said. "These shows speak to a very ugly side of our society that we would hold animals captive against their will just for our own pleasure.

"The fact is, we are hurting them. We don't want any more brought in," McConnachie-Howarth said, adding that groups such as hers have been advocating an end to the use of captured animals for public display for many years.

The recent death of a beluga calf at the aquarium "just invigorates the campaign," she said.

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http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Vanco...ales+dolphins+captive/3278899/story.html





This is a serious concern. If a vote does happen, fringe groups can easily take over the vote considering how few people vote in municipal elections. That's exactly how the Stanley Park zoo closed.

I have to say that I'm increasingly getting quite frustrated with how things are being run in this city. What is there left to do if everything is seen as bad except the act of hugging a frickin tree?

At times like these, you just want to say "fuck democracy".

[mezzanine]

^Actually, I'm glad they closed the SP Zoo. Even as a kid that place seemed to depressing. the polar bear enclosure looked like a sunken quarry, except it was concrete and had all the natural habitat of a tennis court. IIRC the monkey cages had swings and sea otter display had slides, but the animals never used them and just sat forlorn in a corner...

I'm mixed about the aquarium. it has more of a solid connection to the community IMO due to better programming. maybe i'm getting old, but the whale show seems dated and cheesy....

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

^Actually, I'm glad they closed the SP Zoo. Even as a kid that place seemed to depressing. the polar bear enclosure looked like a sunken quarry, except it was concrete and had all the natural habitat of a tennis court. IIRC the monkey cages had swings and sea otter display had slides, but the animals never used them and just sat forlorn in a corner...

I'm mixed about the aquarium. it has more of a solid connection to the community IMO due to better programming. maybe i'm getting old, but the whale show seems dated and cheesy....

I too recall the Stanley Park zoo, but only the giraffe, monkey, and the polar bear exhibts...and I do recall the polar bear exhibit being rather small, and it was definitely a very cruel place for the animals.

But if it weren't for that referendum on the zoo, from what I've read the city would have spent quite a bit on renovating and expanding the facility to acceptable standards.

As for zoos and aquariums, I'm not big on them either. But I'm not willing to lose yet another one of Vancouver's largest cultural and entertainment institutions.

On the other hand, the Aldergrove zoo is most certainly inhumane.

[Yume-sama]

Let's take away the Totem Poles (the most visited tourist attraction in all of BC), too. That way there will be almost nothing for tourists to want to see!

And we'll finally be rid of the Worldly riff-raff who flock here~

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Let's take away the Totem Poles (the most visited tourist attraction in all of BC), too. That way there will be almost nothing for tourists to want to see!

And we'll finally be rid of the Worldly riff-raff who flock here~

Fireworks are terrible for the environment and kill fish....lets get rid of the Celebration of Light and Canada Day fireworks events.



Golf courses are also bad for the environment with all that fertillizer and water...lets get rid of them too!

Same with ski resorts!

[Yume-sama]

The Grouse Mountain cable cars disorient birds with their humming noise, too.

And let's not even forget the suspension bridge, letting people pollute and disturb otherwise untouched nature~!

[mr.x]

There's also this:

[Metro-One]

Thank you!

You will not know how many times that South Park episode comes to my mind when I read about vancouver movements / politics!

Everything from tearing down the viaducts, to re-naming Stanley Park, to closing the aquarium.

Things need to be kept in the middle, yes animals need to be treated well in exhibits, but closing down the aquarium will not help anyone (and will be a loss of another attraction). Why don't they target the Metro-Vancouver zoo instead and have them upgrade their facility or close.

Both extreme right and extreme left movements urk me. If i want the extreme right to urk me, all I have to do is watch Fox News, if I want the extreme left to urk me, all I have to do is keep up to date with Vancouver's latest movement.

Of course not everything they do is bad, I largely support the bike lanes (although I would like to tweak them myself), I support the proposed tram system, having tough litre / waste laws, etc... but stuff such as the above go to far. Allowing people to view such animals as whales gives them a stronger connection to them and their ecological plight. I hate to say it, out of sight out of mind.

Another thing that urks me is the almost fascist anti-smoking laws the city has established as well, and I don't even smoke! Of course the irony in that situation is the large legalizing pot movement that is also in the city (something I do support), but it is also smoking!

sigh...

[SpikePhanta]

I'm pretty pissed off because first the aquarium actually teaches the visitors about the eco system and how stuff can affect it.
Not to mention i remember going there and they were talking about the invasive species.

I actually liked the current council at the beginning, but now after their suggestions about this closure, the renaming of stanleypark, issue of removing viaducts and the only bikelane i hate dunsmuir.

[mr.x]

There's the politically correct, but should we also create a new term for these hippies? The "environmentally correct?"


I, for one, do not apologize for our presence on this planet and our dominance among all living creatures. It's us versus them.

Sure, we've gotta be a lot more eco-sensitive and environmentally friendly and we also need to think about the continued existence of the other species we exploit and affect but not to the point where we start to degrade who we are and our place in this world.

Mankind does not and will not apologize for its existence.



It's us versus the monkeys....damn you all to hell.

[SpikePhanta]

Originally Posted by mr.x

There's the politically correct, but should we also create a new term for these hippies? The "environmentally correct?"


I, for one, do not apologize for our presence on this planet and among all living creatures. It's us versus them.

Sure, we've gotta be a lot more eco-sensitive and environmentally friendly but not to the point where we start to degrade who we are and our place in this world.

Mankind does not and will not apologize for its existence.



It's us versus the monkeys....damn you all to hell.

Thats why I hate all the vegetarians who come up to me saying being a meat eater is not deserving on this world.....
LIKE SERIOUSLY??? THERES SOMETHING CALLED THE FOOD CHAIN, AND GUESS WHAT HUMANS ARE AT THE TOP!

[WarrenC12]

Is the Indy still here? It better not be. What a blight on the planet.

I can't believe Canada Day fireworks were brought back. What's next? I'll tell you what's next... all out anarchy!

Plastic bags should be banned too, they will herald the end of civilization as we know it.

There's one thing we need more of though, and that's safe injection sites for illegal hard drugs!!!

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

Thats why I hate all the vegetarians who come up to me saying being a meat eater is not deserving on this world.....
LIKE SERIOUSLY??? THERES SOMETHING CALLED THE FOOD CHAIN, AND GUESS WHAT HUMANS ARE AT THE TOP!

Futurama: "We taught a lion to eat tofu".





But you gotta admit, there is something strange about humans and their cow milk factories. We're the only species to drink the milk of other species. Oh well....


And in all seriousness, the way animals die in the slaughter houses is brutal and excruciatingly painful. The way cows for instance are hung upside down and they bleed for minutes and minutes...I wouldn't mind seeing some major reforms on how we kill cattle for consumption.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Is the Indy still here? It better not be. What a blight on the planet.

I can't believe Canada Day fireworks were brought back. What's next? I'll tell you what's next... all out anarchy!

Plastic bags should be banned too, they will herald the end of civilization as we know it.

There's one thing we need more of though, and that's safe injection sites for illegal hard drugs!!!

I wish the Indy were still here, that they could have found another site for it...it truly was something special that they could turn the city into a race course. And it was a great attraction, one of the best things we had in the summer.

I'm not a fan of cars, or auto racing (terribly boring IMO), but if the droves and droves of people that showed up liked it why not?

I'd say that up until the mid-1990s, this city was on the road towards becoming a North American Singapore...something went terribly wrong.

[nova9]

And these people are supposed to be the environmentalists yet it is people at the Aquarium (staff and volunteers, myself included) that are the ones working to help the environment. All they do is satisfy their own egos and self-righteousness by protesting and petition and whining.

Seriously, someone remind me why democracy means we have to listen to these people?

[SpongeG]

the best part is knowing that voter turnout is around 45%? and they will probably get it passed

[giallo]

Originally Posted by mr.x

I'd say that up until the mid-1990s, this city was on the road towards becoming a North American Singapore...something went terribly wrong.

You've got it wrong.
Singapore is the poster boy of a "No Fun City". It's what Vancouver is arguably becoming. The place is a complete nanny state. Besides their financial sector and an impressive port, there is nothing I would want Vancouver to emulate. It's the only city where the people proudly say their national past time is shopping.
Singapore is the city of my nightmares.

[Zassk]

I'm not sure about this criticism being levelled at the aquarium in the original article.

None of the dolphins at the aquarium were captured. All of them were rescued and are unsuitable for re-release. The original two belugas were captured decades ago, but almost all of those at the facility today are either offspring or rescues, and none of them would survive a re-release today.

The aquarium's role today is a rescue and rehabilitation facility. None of the cetaceans are "performance" creatures, and none of them would be alive today without intervention. The "performances" are really just part of their maintenance routine, and cannot be compared with what the "Shamu" orcas are subjected to at Sea World.

I don't really see how the aquarium can be criticized for its modern role, and I don't foresee much support for this, given that a significant aquarium expansion was approved by the public just a few years ago, specifically targetting the living conditions of the cetaceans.

[SpongeG]

because there are dogooders on the parks board who want to be re-elected and look good for the select few who oppose everything

[Hourglass]

Originally Posted by giallo

You've got it wrong.
Singapore is the poster boy of a "No Fun City". It's what Vancouver is arguably becoming. The place is a complete nanny state. Besides their financial sector and an impressive port, there is nothing I would want Vancouver to emulate. It's the only city where the people proudly say their national past time is shopping.
Singapore is the city of my nightmares.

Taking the thread slightly off topic for a second, I'd have to say that, actually, the nanny state has been changing for the better and shaking off that dour image. Hey, any place where a Ministry of Sound opens up can't be half bad, right? Still, give me HK over Singapore for my money any day.

Is it me or does some sort of referendum about the Aquarium come up every few years? Whether it's expansion or about keeping whales or something else.

While it probably would cause other problems, probably the best thing would be for the Aquarium to relocate out of Stanley Park to somewhere else in Vancouver not on park lands. That way they can operate free of this sort of interference, however well-intentioned it is. The Georgia Aquarium as I recall is in a pretty central part of Atlanta.