Vancouver Aquarium rolls with the tide

English Bay

Vancouver's first privately owned aquarium opened at English Bay in 1939. The exhibit was small and featured an Oscar the octupus. In 1956 it closed and Oscar  moved to Stanley Park's newsest attraction, the Vancouver Aquarium. At the time it was Canada's first publicly owned aquarium. The idea that humanity was but a cog in the intricate dealings of the universe had not even occurred to mainstream culture. Performing dolphins attracted crowds, and in1964 the exhibit grew to include its first captured "killer whale".  It was a hit and by 1967 the aquarium was three times its original size featuring two orcas, Scana and Hyak, that performed for the crowds at what remains as one of North Americas five largest aquariums.

In 1990 the beluga whale pool was added but in 1996 the Stanley Park zoo was closed and in 2001 the orcas were fazed out largley due to public pressure and changing attitudes about animals in captivity.

Almost 450 thousand gallon tank still a tight fit

Today activists continue to agitate for the release of the belugas and dolphins. Whatever you may think about the capture and containment of large mammals, you cannot deny the aquarium's stellar record when it comes to innovations. Shows where trained animals jump through hoops have been replaced by animal-centered training sessions run by professional biologists and training specialists.

That doesn't mean the animals don't bust out a move or two for the camera, but these interactions are part of short general check ups. The aquarium has a very large rescue program that saves hundreds of abandoned seals and sea lions each year and returns many of them to the wild.

The aquarium is expanding once more as it reclaims some of the land left from the zoo. A larger rescue habitat and improvements to the recently restored salmon streams are in the works. As far as accessibility goes the aquarium is excellent. It has reserved viewing areas, automatic doors, hearing assist devices, ramps, elevators, accessible washrooms and tables in the cafeteria section designed for chairs. They also have a limited supply of loaner chairs and honour the Access2entertainment card enabling half price single admission or free attendant fare.

under our local waters

Tropical

For an extensive look at the aquarium and its programs go to http://www.vanaqua.org/