ACTION ALERT:
Contact:
Dr. Robert Gibbens
Director, Animal Welfare Operations, USDA-APHIS
[email protected]
[email protected]
Please levy the MAXIMUM FINE against the Mystic Aquarium/Sea Research
Foundation, for their blatant disregard of the Animal Welfare Act when their
negligence caused the death of a Beluga Whale. Their behavior should NOT be
tolerated and MUST be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Animal Rights group calls for federal investigation of Mystic Aquarium
From Progressive-Charlestown.com, June 3, 2022
Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN), a national animal welfare group with
a history of successfully challenging animal abuses, filed a formal
complaint with the US Department of Agriculture over the mistreatment
leading to death of beluga whales at the popular Mystic Aquarium.
We reprinted an excellent piece by Charlestown’s Cynthia Drummond in
EcoRIlast April on the deaths of beluga whales at the Aquarium.
After Cynthia’s article ran in EcoRI, I cut back Progressive Charlestown’s
coverage of Mystic Aquarium, including their events, seal releases in
Charlestown and other news, pending a change in policy by the Aquarium.
In my opinion, Mystic made the classic organizational mistake of taking on
too much by those importing sick belugas from Canada. More belugas, more
ticket sales.
Belugas are remarkable, intelligent marine mammals. But none of these
wonderful creatures whose intelligence rivals that of humans should be kept
in watery cages unless there is a genuine medical reason why they can’t be
released into the wild.
I have long admired Mystic’s marine mammal rescue program that has saved,
healed and then released hundreds of seals and sea lions usually from
Charlestown’s beaches.
As much as I have loved watching whales in the wild, watching them in a tank
is just plain sad.