Much like humans, mothers play an important role in killer whale culture. Killer whales are highly social, group-living animals whose social structure revolves around females. For some members of the animal kingdom, the challenges of motherhood are relatively fleeting; after a few short weeks of care, their offspring can fend for themselves. Motherhood is not […]

Last August, the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre received a call about  a distressed fish on the beach in Stanley Park, Vancouver. Luckily, the Vancouver Aquarium’s Veterinary and Fishes teams was only 350 metres away at Ocean Wise’s headquarters and headed down to the stranded animal quickly. They found a female shark entangled in […]

In January 2002, a two-year old killer whale was discovered, emaciated and alone, in Puget Sound near Seattle. Killer whales almost never travel alone, so a young female swimming by herself in a high-traffic area was cause for concern. The whale turned out to be Springer, who belonged to one of three clans that make […]

It was an incredible feat of determination on both the part of the animal and his rescuers when Chester the false killer whale survived his stranding on a windswept beach near Tofino in July 2014. Although he had less than a 10 per cent chance of making it, the little calf would not only live […]

Hardy, the male sea otter pup rescued in June from waters near northern Vancouver Island, has now moved into the nursery at the Vancouver Aquarium, an Ocean Wise initiative, to continue receiving 24-hour care from the sea otter experts on site. The fuzzy-faced pup was estimated to be two to four weeks old when he […]

A tiny male sea otter pup — estimated to be just two to four weeks old — is now in 24-hour care at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, after concerned members of the public found it swimming alone in open water off northern Vancouver Island on Sunday. Although the pup appears healthy, he requires […]

Steller sea lions are fascinating creatures, and seeing them in nature is guaranteed to be a memorable experience. As calm as they may look, often spotted basking in the sun on rocky haul-outs, it’s important to remember that they are wild animals.  Here are a few tips on how to ensure you’re staying responsible: Do […]

Following a successful introduction to Tanu earlier this spring, Vancouver Aquarium’s youngest rescued sea otters – Rialto, Mak, and Kunik – recently expanded their social circle when they met Katmai, an almost five-year-old female otter who joined the Aquarium family in 2013. “Katmai has always been interested in young sea otters and, while she is […]