Vancouver Aquarium
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| Vancouver Aquarium | |
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| Date opened | June 15, 1956 [1] |
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN |
| Land area | 2.1 acres (9,000 m²) [1] |
| Accreditations/ Memberships |
AZA, CAZA, AMMPA |
| Website | |
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is a public aquarium located in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In addition to being a major tourist attraction for Vancouver, the aquarium is a centre for marine research, conservation and marine animal rehabilitation.
The aquarium is recognized for its displays and interpretations. The Vancouver Aquarium claims to be the first facility to incorporate professional naturalists into the galleries to interpret animal behaviours.[2] However, naturalists James S. Bowerbank, Dr. E Lankester, Mr D. Mitchell and Philip Henry Gosse, the creator of the word aquarium,[3] regularly held "open house" events at the world's first public aquarium at London Zoo Fish House at Regent's Park in the 19th century.[4]
Aquarium research projects extend world-wide, and include marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation.
The aquarium is run by a self-supporting non-profit organization. The operation of the aquarium receives no government funding. The property is owned by the City of Vancouver and rented to the Aquarium for $40,000 a year since 1991 (prior to which $1 per year).
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[edit] Aquarium history
The Vancouver Public Aquarium Association was formed in 1950 by UBC fisheries and oceanography professors Murray Newman, Carl Lietze and Wilbert Clemens. It opened on June 15, 1956 after receiving the help of timber baron H.R. MacMillan, alderman and businessman George Cunningham and $100,000 from each of the three levels of government.
Officially Canada's first public Aquarium, the Vancouver Aquarium has become the largest in Canada and one of the five largest in North America. The Aquarium has been rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing injured marine mammals for more than forty years.[citation needed] The Marine Mammal Rescue Centre has treated more than 2,000 seals, sea lions, elephant seals, otters, dolphins, porpoises, and whales.[citation needed] The program also helped rescue Springer, an orphaned killer whale successfully released and reunited with her family pod. Among other high profile rescues include the successful returning of a beached gray whale back to the water in 2005 and the rescue of Schoona, a lost green sea turtle near Prince Rupert, BC.
In 1975, the Vancouver Aquarium was the first aquarium accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Aquarium is also accredited by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) and in 1987 was designated Canada's Pacific National Aquarium by the Canadian Federal Government.
On July 23, 1995, a beluga whale named Qila was born. She was the first beluga to be both conceived and born in a Canadian aquarium. A second calf, Tuvaq, was born on July 30, 2002, but died unexpectedly with no previous sign of illness on July 17, 2005.
In 1996, the Vancouver Aquarium vowed to never again capture cetaceans from the wild, and only obtain cetaceans from other facilities if they too were captured before 1996 (unless a rescue animal).
On June 15, 2006 Canada Post issued a 51 cent domestic rate stamp to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Aquarium.
For many years, the primary attraction for visitors was the orca or killer whale show. [1] Indeed, the aquarium was responsible for the first orca ever held alive in captivity, Moby Doll. Since then, it was home to Skana, Hyak II, Finna, Bjossa, and three of Bjossa's calves, all of whom have since died, the last survivor being Bjossa, who was later moved to SeaWorld San Diego, and died in 2001.
When Finna died and Bjossa was left without other orca companions, the Aquarium attempted to acquire one or more female orcas from other marine parks. However, no suitable companions were found, and Bjossa was moved to Sea World, San Diego, where she later died. The Aquarium has since moved to emphasize the educational aspects of the displays rather than the public spectacle of the shows. They have also tried to highlight the research and rehabilitation efforts of the staff.
The aquarium has played a significant role in the ground-breaking wild killer whale research in BC. John Ford, a respected researcher who focuses on orca vocalizations, worked there for many years and they still fund a lot of the study. The Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program, which funds research, is also run out of the aquarium.
After considerable public debate and despite vocal opposition from animal rights groups, the Vancouver Park Board voted in favour of a proposal to expand the Aquarium at a cost of $80 million. A public consultation process showed 89% of local residents were in favour of the expansion. The proposal will increase the size of the Aquarium by 1.5 acres and extend its lease by 20 years. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2007.[5]
[edit] Aquarium facility
The aquarium covers approximately 9000 m² (100,000 ft²) and has a total 9.5 million litres (2.5 million gallons) of water in 166 aquatic displays. There are a number of different galleries:
- Pacific Canada Pavilion is the central indoor tank, 260,000L. Highlighting the marine life from the Strait of Georgia.
- Arctic Canada includes the Beluga whales tank.
- The Wild Coast is an outdoor habitat that includes four Pacific White-sided Dolphins, harbour seals, Steller's Sea Lions, and sea otters.
- Treasures of the BC Coast is a series of separate exhibits that simulate the various environments with sea life found on the BC coast.
- Tropic Zone has a large display of tropical fish, including sharks.
- Amazon Rainforest a number of large fresh water fish, snakes, caimans, a sloth and other creatures from the Amazon.
- Discovery Education Centre contains multiple classrooms for school groups, including a theatre and wet lab.
- Canaccord Exploration Gallery engages visitors to learn about marine life through interactive displays.
- Frogs Forever? Gallery is a exhibit focused on the plight of the world's frog population, with a focus on how people can help protect the frogs.
[edit] Animals at the Aquarium
Vanaqua is currently home to around 300 species of fish, almost 30,000 invertebrates, and 56 species of amphibians and reptiles. They also have around 60 mammals and birds.
Currently, the Aquarium houses 4 Pacific White-Sided Dolphins:
- Spinnaker is the only male dolphin at the Vancouver Aquarium. He was rescued off the shores of Japan after becoming entangled in a fishing net, and was deemed to be unreleasable due to the extent of the injuries.
- Hana is a 12 year old female dolphin at the Aquarium. She suffered a miscarriage on June 8, 2006 and again on May 22, 2007. She came to the Aquarium with Helen from the Enoshima Aquarium in Japan in 2005 after being rescued after becoming entangled in a fishing net.
- Helen is a 19 year old female dolphin at the Aquarium. She came to the Aquarium with Hana from the Enoshima Aquarium in Japan in 2005 after being rescued after becoming entangled in a fishing net. She is distinguishable by the fact that her pectoral flippers are partially amputated.
- Laverne is a 28 year old female dolphin at the Aquarium. She is on loan from SeaWorld, San Antonio in Texas in exchange for Allua, a female beluga who is on breeding loan since 2005.
The Aquarium also houses 5 Beluga whales:
- Kavna is the oldest beluga whale at the Aquarium; she is estimated to be around 40 years of age. She is distinguishable from the other belugas due to the fact that she is the most white of all the belugas at the Aquarium.
- Imaq is the only male beluga whale and is around 21 years of age. He is distinguishable by the fact that he is the largest beluga at the Aquarium.
- Aurora is a female beluga and is around 21 years of age.
- Qila is a female beluga whale and is around 13 years old. She was born at the Aquarium to mother Aurora and father Nanuq.
- On June 10th, 2008, Qila delivered a baby, who is a female, fathered by Imaq.
On breeding loan to SeaWorld are the following:
- Nanuq is a male beluga who is around 24 years old. Nanuq is Qila's father and is on breeding loan to Sea World since July of 1997.
- Allua is a female beluga is around 24 years of age. She was moved to Sea World San Diego on a breeding loan in 2005.
The Aquarium also houses 4 Sea Otters:
- Nyac is a 19 year old sea otter and is one of the last captive survivors of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
- Milo is a 8 year old sea otter and is on loan from the Lisbon Oceanarium.
- Tanu is a 3 year old sea otter who was abandoned as a pup, was rescued by the Alaska Sea Life Centre and later moved to the Aquarium.[6]
- Elfin is a 6 year old sea otter who was abandoned as a pup, was rescued by the Alaska Sea Life Centre and later moved to the Aquarium.[7]
[edit] Criticism
A local Vancouver based ecology organization, Lifeforce, has concerns in relation to the Vancouver Aquarium expansion plans affecting the surrounding park (Stanly Park), animal suffering, and environmental damage[8].
[edit] In popular culture
The Vancouver Aquarium was featured frequently in the 1980's Canadian series, Danger Bay, which followed the day to day exploits of the Roberts family, led by Grant "Doc" Roberts, a marine veterinarian and his two children, Nicole and Jonah.
A YouTube video featuring two sea otters "holding hands" was recorded at the Vancouver Aquarium. The two sea otters are Nyac and Milo. The video has been viewed over 10.5 million times on YouTube. As a result, the Vancouver Aquarium created a live Sea Otter Cam on their website. The YouTube video was originally recorded in 2002 by Cynthia Holmes[9].
The Vancouver Aquarium was also featured in the movie Good Luck Chuck, where Cam works.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Vancouver Aquarium - Online
- ^ History of the Aquarium. Vancouver Aquarium. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. “...was the first facility to incorporate professional naturalists/interpretive specialists into galleries to explain animal behaviors.”
- ^ Philip Henry Gosse (British naturalist)
- ^ The First Public Marine Aquarium
- ^ Thomas, Sandra. "Show us a bit more money De Genova tells aquarium", Vancouver Courier, 29 November 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
- ^ Ocean Currents - The Marine Mammals of the Vancouver Aquarium
- ^ Ocean Currents - The Marine Mammals of the Vancouver Aquarium
- ^ Lifeforce - Let Stanley Park Be
- ^ YouTube - Otters holding hands
[edit] Bibliography
- Newman, Murray A; Nightingale, John (2005). People, Fish and Whales: The Vancouver Aquarium Story. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. ISBN 1550173820. This is a history of the aquarium as told by the founding and current presidents of the aquarium.
[edit] External links
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