We are delighted to report that yesterday 10 June, Bill S-203, the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act was passed in Canada.
As the legislation bans the holding, capture, breeding and trade in any cetacean, this means that the animals currently held in the two remaining facilities in Canada will be the last as captive cetaceans are phased out. Although this still requires royal assent before becoming valid, this is a historic and landmark victory for all who have worked on this issue over the past three decades.
Whilst we celebrate, we must take a moment to remember those still in captivity including Kiska, the last orca in captivity in Canada taken from the wild in Iceland almost 4 decades ago, Helen the Pacific White-Sided Dolphin ‘rescued’ in Japan in around 1996 and now left alone at Vancouver Aquarium, plus all the other dolphins and whales who have suffered and lost their lives whilst confined to tanks in the name of entertainment in the country.
We thank all of our colleagues in both Canada and around the world for their dedication in achieving this aim and also the Canadian Government for considering scientific evidence provided regarding the impact captivity has on these sentient marine mammals and listening to public opinion/concerns over this issue. Let us go forward, celebrate the phasing out of captive cetaceans in Canada and look to a future when the keeping of these mammals for entertainment is no more.
