Important update - On May 15, the Vancouver Parks Board voted to ban cetacean captivity! Thank you for all your calls and emails to the Board supporting cetacean freedom!

If you have been following In Defense of Animals' social media posts lately, you will have seen our repeated calls for action regarding a near-certain ban on cetacean captivity in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In response to the anticipated ban, Vancouver Aquarium is making a desperate, well-funded effort, in an attempt to get the public to oppose the ban. That's why we need your help to keep the ban on course to get it permanently set in place as planned!  

On March 9, the Commissioners of the Vancouver Park Board voted to make amendments to the Parks Control by-law that will prevent the importation and live display of cetaceans, thereby forcing the Vancouver Aquarium to get out of the cetacean captivity business. This is long overdue, given the cramped and barren conditions that cetaceans are forced to endure within the facility’s concrete tanks, as we highlighted on our 10 Worst Tanks List.

On May 15, the commissioners will vote to change the by-laws. There has been a huge groundswell of support for this – thanks in no small part to all of you In Defense of Animals supporters out there! We need to make sure the commissioners continue to stand up to the Aquarium, whose paid staff do not want to see this by-law become enacted, and who vehemently believe in exploiting belugas and dolphins in captivity. 

You can help by making a call to 604-873-7000 and asking to speak to any of the individual commissioners listed below (Please note that the phone will be answered by a live person and you will need to ask to speak to one of the commissioners. You will be transferred to that commissioner's phone/voicemail. You can only do this during operating hours: Monday to Friday 9 am-5 pm PT).

The vote is only days away, on Monday the 15th at 7:00 pm, so please consider calling a few different commissioners each business day (including Monday) leading up to the vote! Please be very kind - they've been bravely standing firm against the Vancouver Aquarium and they need your steadfast support. 

John Coupar

Casey Crawford

Catherine Evans

Stuart Mackinnon

Erin Shum

Michael Wiebe

Sarah Kirby-Yung
 

Click here to send a pre-written letter to the commissioners if you have not already signed our alert.

If you have already signed our alert, please consider sending a supportive follow up email to the commissioners individually using the following addresses:

John Coupar: john.coupar@vancouver.ca

Casey Crawford: casey.crawford@vancouver.ca 

Catherine Evans: catherine.evans@vancouver.ca 

Stuart Mackinnon: stuart.mackinnon@vancouver.ca 

Erin Shum: erin.shum@vancouver.ca 

Michael Wiebe: michael.wiebe@vancouver.ca 

Sarah Kirby-Yung: sarah.kirby-yung@vancouver.ca