Killer Whales

As a child I loved going to the Vancouver Aquarium to see, among other things, the Killer Whales perform their tricks, splash the audience and wave goodbye when the show was over.

I remember the large arch that the trainers used to walk up with a long pole and joined chorus of oooh's and ahhh's as these giant creatures would leap up and touch the end of the pole with their nose.

As the years went by, things changed for the whales. Their habitat became more 'authentic', they were no longer required to perform any tricks (though sometimes they would, to the delight of the crowd) and a debate over whales in captivity rose to a fever pitch.

Bjossa, one of the longest tenants at the Vancouver Aquarium, died yesterday after suffering respiratory problems for the past two years. She had been moved to San Diego earlier this year.

There will be no more Killer Whale shows at the Vancouver Aquarium, which, I'm told by those who speak to the whales, is a good thing. But I will always remember watching her leap skyward, impossibly high into the air before splashing down into the water, soaking the first two rows. I'll miss that.