After many years of resisting the clear trend of history regarding the captive display of cetaceans, the Vancouver Aquarium has finally conceded: On January 18, the aquarium’s management announced that it would no longer display cetaceans once their last one—a Pacific white-sided dolphin named Helen—dies or is transferred elsewhere.
The controversy in the city over captive cetaceans had become more heated, as first two beluga whales and then a rescued harbor porpoise and false killer whale died over the course of a year, leaving Helen alone. With this decision, the sole Canadian facility with no plans to end the captive display of cetaceans is Marineland in Ontario, which has over 50 belugas, a few bottlenose dolphins, and a solitary orca named Kiska.