Historic victory for animal rights as the Canadian government bans from now on the keeping of dolphins and whales in captivity. The ‘Free Willy’ bill as passed by the nation’s House of Commons and is currently awaiting “royal assent” from the Senate. However, the odds are extremely high in the bill’s favor.
The name of the bill would be S-203, it was first suggested in 2015, therefore, it has now finally been passed after three years of exhaustive legislative fights. Furthermore, this bill is that there was support for it across many political parties which mean that issues related to the environment are not subject to party politics in Canada, and every citizen has to take a stand in order to protect the environment. Everyone has a role to play when it comes to environmental issues because we all share the planet Earth.
The dolphins and the whales as well, are traveling hundreds of miles a day and migrate across huge seas. Therefore, they are unable to do that, when kept in captivity, no matter how large the tank is.
“The passage of Bill S-203 is a watershed moment in the protection of marine animals and a victory for all Canadians,” Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of the Humane Society International/Canada, said in a statement. “Whales and dolphins don’t belong in tanks, and the inherent suffering these highly social and intelligent animals endure in intensive confinement can no longer be tolerated. We congratulate the sponsors of this bill and the Canadian government for showing strong leadership in responding to public will and sound science on this critical issue.”
INCREDIBLE! Keeping whales and dolphins in captivity is going to be banned in Canada! Legislation that bans keeping whales, dolphins, and porpoises in captivity for entertainment has just passed through Canadian Parliament. This is truly an historic victory! 🐳🐬 #cdnpoli #S203 pic.twitter.com/fZUD6gkRyg
— HSI/Canada (@HSI_Canada) June 10, 2019
It is obvious that the community is becoming more conscious and aware of how their activities are influencing the environment. Raising awareness from the government side is one of the best tools that can be used to change the things and reduce environmental issues. When there is an official law in place, so many things can be minimized and organizations will be stressed to follow suit.
