It’s too bad that the rest of the animals that the aquarium keeps in tanks weren’t allowed to have their freedom as well. It is horrible that Vancouver still has this water zoo in the city after Vancouver residents voted to not allow zoos in the city. Animals languish for their whole lifetimes in tanks barely a fraction of their natural range. Just because a company (yes, I know the aquarium is officially a “charity”) does some work to pretend to care about the earth does not mean that they deserve commendation for the cruelty that they exhibit everyday.

What does the aquarium teach our children? That these amazing wild animals belong behind glass walls for us to go look at and poke at. They are taught that animals exist for our entertainment. As a child I learned far more about the natural world and respect for its inhabitants by seeing animals in their natural habitat. Aquariums just made me sad.