International animal rights organizations are calling on the Vancouver Park Board to immediately ban imports of whales or dolphins destined for the Vancouver Aquarium.
Organizations including the International Marine Mammal Project and PETA have sent a letter to members of the board that also calls for a permanent ban on keeping the marine mammals in captivity in Vancouver.
The groups say the aquarium's history of keeping cetaceans alive is riddled with tragedy -- including the recent deaths of two beluga whales, Aurora and her daughter Qila.
They say banning imports could help sever beluga breeding ties with SeaWorld and the Georgia Aquarium while avoiding further harm to wild populations.
