Yeah because dolphins were dying here left & right.
And everyone who ventures inside lives in fear of the scary decaotating rollercoaster.
To Edmontonians it's just mall, and a nuisance at that, but to tourist's it is truly transcendant.
BTW, staff at WEM DO have PhDs in numerous areas such as veterinarian sciences (doctors and tech students), animal husbandry, marine biology, icthyologists, and inclusdes a huge group of external consultants on the payroll. People are frequently flown in from the states for consultation. There are also numerous students in the above fields who spent part of their studies at the mall to get hands on training.
Many marine animals siezed at the boarder by customs are sent to Edmonton for rehabilitation. For instance, once a Sea Turtle was found in a suitcase and had developed a break between the shell and membrane so he couldn't dive. He still lives in the mall and is fed, washed, and cared for every day.
WEM also currently has 15 iguanas that were abandoned by people that are now cared for very well.