The Dark Reason You Don’t See Narwhals in the Aquarium

Just as have a nasal protrusion like the horns of unicorns Narwhals, also known as narwhals, are quite sensitive compared to most sea creatures and are one of the most difficult to catch.

Alright The reason why we cannot see narwhals in aquariums and at the same time, what makes them so special and mysterious?

The first attempt to introduce a narwhal to an aquarium was made in 1969.

The New York Aquarium in Coney Island managed to capture a young narwhal named Umiak. Its name comes from the species commonly used to hunt species in the High Arctic. igloo canoes It was given with inspiration.

Umiak, a calf, was captured by the Eskimos after his mother was killed and She was placed in a tank next to a female white whale.

This creature had a horn structure just like a unicorn. Body length excluding horn It was between 3.95 and 5.5 metres. The staff fed Umiak milk mixed with chopped oysters every day, and it seemed the creature was content.

But despite all efforts to protect its health, Umiak He succumbed to pneumonia as soon as he completed his first year.

The second attempt to take narwhals into captivity was made 1 year later by the Vancouver Aquarium in Canada.

Murray Newman, director of the aquarium, attracting public attention to elusive species and took action to help protect them, leading a team on a narwhal hunt.

This 2-week hunt around Baffin Island ended in failure. Newman, who does not give up, this time He went back to the region for a hunt that lasted up to 3 weeks. but he returned empty-handed again.

Ultimately, Newman was a young Inuit hunter in Grise Fiord, Canada. buying a male and young narwhal He succeeded. This creature was named Keela Luguk, based on the word “qilalugaq”, the name of narwhal in some Inuktitut dialects.

Keela Luguk was brought to the Vancouver Aquarium as desired.

Vancouver Aquarium

Then the facility next to this creature, captured two different female narwhals and three calves he also added. Although this success was initially highly praised by the media and the public, unfortunately things quickly deteriorated.

Three calves died approximately 1 month after they were imprisoned in the aquarium, and two female narwhals died 2 months after them. This being the case, the public’s reaction began to increase and the mayor said, Calls to return Keela Luguk to nature made. However, Newman disagreed.

Unfortunately, what was feared happened and the narwhal named Keela Luguk died in a short time.

In fact, these creatures are extraordinarily sensitive. Teeth have approximately 10 million nerve endings; a system that detects even the smallest changes in pressure, temperature and particle gradients. sense organ function sees.

Additionally, studies on narwhals have shown that these creatures are extremely sensitive to the noise created by humans. Even a single ship passing around them They play an important role in disrupting the route.

As a result, after these two unsuccessful attempts, it does not seem possible for the world to imprison a narwhal in an aquarium. Again, in recent years, thanks to documentaries such as BlackFish, the public has become aware of narwhal and similar creatures. not to be removed from their natural habitat He seems quite conscious about it.

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