Jane Goodall urges Vancouver to free the whales

Canada AM: Vancouver Aquarium defends itself Clint Wright, general manager of Vancouver Aquarium says he was surprised by Goodall's comments and some of her information is not accurate.

World-renowned animal activist Jane Goodall is calling for the Vancouver Aquarium to phase out its captive whale and dolphin population.

The noted chimpanzee researcher and wildlife activist condemned the continued captivity of whales and dolphins, or cetaceans, in a letter to the Vancouver Aquarium.

“The current permission of Vancouver Aquarium cetacean breeding programs on-site, and at SeaWorld with belugas on loan, is no longer defensible by science,” Goodall wrote in the letter sent on May 13. “This is demonstrated by the high mortality rates evident in these breeding programs and by the ongoing use of these animals in interactive shows as entertainment.”

The Vancouver Aquarium stopped capturing wild cetaceans for its own uses back in 1996, but has continued to breed the captive animals it does have. It also adopts wild, injured cetaceans that require rehabilitation.

“The phasing out of such cetacean programs is the natural progression of human-kind’s evolving view of our non-human kin,” Goodall wrote. “I hope the Vancouver Park Board and the Vancouver Aquarium will be a leader in compassionate conservation on this issue, as you have done before.”

Goodall, who is best-known for studying social and family interactions in chimpanzees, said an aquarium environment doesn’t meet the physical and emotional needs of the highly social whales. The animals are “highly vocal and complex communicators,” Goodall said, and captivity puts them in a low-sensory environment where they cannot thrive.

“Those of us who have had the fortunate opportunity to study wild animals in their natural settings where family, community structure and communication form a foundation for these animals’ existence, know the implications of captivity on such species,” she wrote.

But Vancouver Aquarium president and CEO Dr. John Nightingale suggests Goodall is out of her depth in criticizing his aquarium.

“I’ll argue with Dr. Goodall about chimpanzees any day of the week,” he told the Vancouver Board of Trade on Tuesday. “She’s clearly under information provided by the activist community.”

Nightingale was at the Vancouver Board of Trade to announce his aquarium’s new Coastal Ocean Research Institute, which will study British Columbia’s aquatic ecosystem.

The Vancouver Aquarium is currently in the midst of a $100-million expansion project that includes larger tanks for its whales and dolphins.

Protesters gathered outside the Vancouver Aquarium Saturday, as part of a worldwide demonstration against whale captivity called Empty the Tanks on. On the day of the protest, Nightingale told CTV News that the few thousand people speaking out against his aquarium are a fraction of the 1 million visitors to the facility each year. The whales on display at the Vancouver Aquarium serve to spark conversation and encourage people to become involved in eco-friendly causes, Nightingale said.

Vancouver Mayor Greg Robertson has also voiced his support for ending whale captivity. “My personal view is that the Vancouver Aquarium should begin to phase out the holding of whales and dolphins in captivity,” he said in a statement in April.

Goodall is no stranger to activist causes. Last month, Goodall and a collection of celebrities sent an open letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, calling for him to help end the illegal ivory trade.

With files from CTV Vancouver