NEWS 1130 EXCERPT -- While the sad end to the popular whales remains unresolved, the news of Qila and Aurora’s passing reignited the debate about whales in captivity. There was a time when killer whales were a fixture at the aquarium but times have changed, and they have once again. “We have no more beluga whales at the Vancouver Aquarium,” says Annelise Sorg, president of No Whales in Captivity. “Just like in 2001, there were no more orca whales at the Vancouver Aquarium. That’s it. End the cruelty. It’s over.” The argument may have merit for some. Outgoing Vancouver Park Board Chair Sarah Kirby-Yung suggested a plebiscite for the 2018 municipal election allowing the public to decide whether there should be whales still housed inside the Stanley Park attraction in the future. Sorg points to the Senate bill tabled back in 2015 that’s now in its second reading that would ban the practice of holding whales and dolphins in captivity in places like the Vancouver Aquarium and at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario. “These animals are there 24/7 all year round. All their lives doing stupid silly tricks for dead fish and making money for the aquarium,” argues Sorg. “It’s morally incorrect. It’s morally wrong to tell your children the whales are having fun and are happy, because they’re not.” It took two unfortunate deaths to clear the whale tank at the Vancouver Aquarium this fall. Time will tell if the public will want to see those tanks continue to stay empty, permanently or continue watching the mammals performing tricks to the delight of many who continue to attend the popular facility.