In Canada, with S-203 it is now a criminal offence to breed or captivate the cetaceans.
The bill to eliminate the breeding or captivating of the cetaceans has successfully made it in the senate after a multiyear legislative battle. This bill on its way writes the end story of the theme parks, which once known as the popular attraction of Canada.
In 2015, with the support of Elizabeth May, the Green Party Leader and now retired Liberal senator Wilfred Moore first introduced S-203.
[image lightbox=”1″ caption=””]https://www.hiptoro.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/61.3.jpg[/image]
With S-203 both possessing and breeding of these marine mammals has now become a criminal offence and in case of breaching the law a fine of $200,000 would be inflicted on the law breaker. Such a huge fine amount is deliberately set in order to avoid law breaks. On the sadder note the law along with putting an end to the theme parks, impairs legitimate scientific and research programs. Since the importing of cetaceans or their sperm, tissue cultures or embryos are forbidden.
Conservative Manitoba Sen. Don Plett said that he had gone to the parks. In specific mentioning the name of the park ‘Vancouver Aquarium’, he said that when they came out to receive food he had seen the joy in the faces of the cetaceans, the belugas’.
On Tuesday, after an in depth study with nearly 3 years of legislative battle the bill finally cleared the Red Chamber. According to reports, by the month of May it should make it through the House of Commons.
[image lightbox=”1″ caption=””]https://www.hiptoro.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/61.1.jpg[/image]
Including New Democrat Fin Donnelly, Liberal Nathaniel Erskine Smith and Conservative Michelle Rempel has expressed their support for the bill.
Only after years of advocacy efforts from the animal welfare advocates the bill’s passageway in upper house has become a reality. The animal welfare advocates kept forward their arguments saying it would only be a wicked and perverse sort of entertainment and to hold such greatly intelligent mammals in tanks merely for the purpose of entertainment could no way differentiate us from the barbarians.
In 2013 with the help of the documentary film titled ‘Blackfish’ the fight for cetacean rights picked up pace and brought a lot of public attention to the issue.
The Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia and Marineland in Ontario are the prime target for the bill.
Naming the protests for captivating the intelligent mammals as bad for business Vancouver Aquarium declared that it would stop displaying these mammals at their park. Once when asked about keeping these mammals in captivity, the Vancouver Aquarium used educational and scientific grounds to defend themselves.
Even if the Commons pass the legislation, Marineland will be allowed to hold 55 of their cetaceans because the bill will phase out captivity only over time through banding the breeding of the cetaceans.
The export and import of shark fin products are also banned as the Senate has passed another bill S-238.
[image lightbox=”1″ caption=””]https://www.hiptoro.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/61.jpg[/image]
144,000 kilograms of shark fins was imported by Canada in 2015. The country surpassed by China and Hong Kong remains the 3rd largest importer of shark fins in the world. Now, to people who wonder what purpose does this shark fin suit, the answer is among the wealthy the shark fin soup is a popular delicacy.
Source 1: www.cbc.ca
Source 2: dailyhive.com
