DAISY, RESCUED HARBOUR PORPOISE, STARTS NEXT PHASE OF HER REHABILITATION
DAISY DEEMED UNRELEASABLE BY VANCOUVER AQUARIUM EXPERTS AND FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA
VANCOUVER, BC – Rescued harbour porpoise Daisy begins the next phase of her rehabilitation today at the Vancouver Aquarium after a successful transfer from the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.
On August 26, 2008, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) officers rescued a month-old stranded female harbour porpoise calf from Gonzales Beach near Victoria, B.C. and transferred the mammal to the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre (VAMMR), where she has been receiving expert care since.
This rescue of a live harbour porpoise is a rare occurrence in British Columbia. Daisy’s continued survival upon arrival at VAMMR and through months of treatment is even rarer. As a dependent calf, she was emaciated, dehydrated, and had severe muscle damage.
Daisy beat the odds and responded to expert health care and animal husbandry. Clint Wright, Senior Vice President of the Vancouver Aquarium, advises, “Given that Daisy was rescued as a very young dependent calf she has not developed the skills that would allow her to survive in the wild. She does not know where to find food, how to avoid predators or how to deal with other natural factors. Simply put, she is not a suitable candidate for release. Her recovery has been nothing short of miraculous and our goal now is to ensure her continued well being moving forward.” Wright adds ”Being on site at the Aquarium is the next step in her rehabilitation and will provide the best possible support for her continued development, including the opportunity to eventually socialize with other marine mammals and to receive constant access to care from marine mammal staff.”
After a thorough screening process, Fisheries and Oceans Canada granted a transport permit. The permit conditions were that the harbour porpoise was healthy for transport as determined by a certified veterinarian, and that she had no infectious disease prior to transfer.
The long-term goal for Daisy is to have her living with other harbour porpoises; at present there are none in North American aquarium environments. However, her move to the Vancouver Aquarium will, in time, provide the opportunity for socialization with belugas, increased stimulation and continued expert care.
About the Vancouver Aquarium
The Vancouver Aquarium is a global leader in connecting people to our natural world, and a self-supporting, non-profit association dedicated to effecting the conservation of aquatic life through display and interpretation, conservation practices, education, research, and direct action. Learn more at
www.vanaqua.org
About the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre
The primary goal of the Marine Mammal Rescue and Rehabilitation Program is to provide housing and care for ill, injured or abandoned marine mammals and to rehabilitate them for release back into their natural habitat.
About Fisheries and Oceans Canada
For more info, visit
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index-eng.htm
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Media Contacts
Vancouver Aquarium
Sarah Kirby Yung
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Direct: 604.838.4429
sarah.kirbyyung@vanaqua.org
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Diane Lake
Communications Advisor
Cel: 604.666.0939
Diane.Lake@dfo-mpo@gc.ca