No cause of death yet for aquarium belugas, but facility to expand its exhibit
Vancouver aquarium officials say they still don’t know what killed two beluga whales last year, but the facility is pushing ahead with plans to expand its beluga conservation program.
Aquarium CEO John Nightingale said the work it does with the vulnerable species is critical and as a marine science centre with conservation as its mission, they believe they have an obligation to keep at that work.
“This institution will continue to be the one and only place in Canada that scientists can do research on belugas that are trained to participate,” he said during a news conference on Monday.
Nightingale said they intend to phase out the program and the aquarium will no longer hold belugas after 2029.