Narwhals are among the most elusive creatures in the ocean, with their long, spiralling tusks giving them an almost mythological quality. And whilst many people would pay good money to see these unicorns of the sea in the flesh, they are notably absent from the world’s aquariums. The reason for this is both dark and mysterious, since there have only been two attempts to keep the toothed whales in captivity. Both of these ended in tragedy and the general acceptance that narwhals simply don’t belong in our sealife centres. The legendary porpoises, which are related to belugas and orcas, are found in Arctic coastal waters and rivers. They have two teeth and, in males, the more prominent of these grows into the swordlike tusk which can be up to 10 feet long, according to National Geographic. Back in 1969, Coney Island’s New York Aquarium becoming the first-ever centre to put a narwhal on display. According to IFL Science, the aquarium became home to a young calf called Umiak, whose name referred to the canoe used to hunt the species in the High Arctic. It was captured by members of the Inuit community who said that it followed their canoe back to camp after they killed its mother for meat. Umiak was put in a tank alongside a female “white whale” (most likely a beluga), who acted as its stepmother. And although staff reportedly fed vast quantities of milk mixed with chopped clams to keep it happy, they weren’t able to keep it healthy. Less than a year after Umiak arrived at the centre, the orphaned narwhal died of pneumonia, as reported by The New York Times at the time. Still, the animal’s swift and tragic demise didn’t stop Canada’s Vancouver Aquarium from attempting the same feat in 1970. The aquarium had been gearing up to host a narwhal since 1968, when its director, Murray Newman, hoped that bringing narwhals to the city could generate interest in the species and help with its conservation, IFL Science reports. After two unsuccessful attempts to capture one of the whales themselves, Newman and his team were forced to buy a young male from a community of Inuit hunters based in Grise Fiord on Canada’s Ellesmere Island. The animal was reportedly called Keela Luguk – a phonetic spelling of the word “qilalugaq”, which means “narwhal” in some Inuktitut dialects. Within a week of Keela Luguk’s arrival at Vancouver Aquarium in August 1970, the centre had caught two female narwhals and three calves, which were then added to his tank. However, in less than a month, the three calves had died. And by November, the two females were also gone. As public outrage mounted, the mayor of Vancouver himself called for Keela Luguk to be returned to the wild. But Newman would not succumb to their pressure and, eventually, on 26 December that same year, the young whale was reported to have died too. It’s not known exactly why the narwhals fared so dismally in captivity, particularly given that the species’s closest relative, the beluga, can survive a number of years, or even decades, in aquarium facilities. However, the porpoises are known to be exceptionally sensitive animals, with studies finding that they are so affected by human-made noises that even the sound of a ship sailing near their habitat is enough to radically impact their behaviour. Fortunately, aquariums seem to have got the memo, and narwhals have largely been left to continue their lives as fabled enigmas of the sea. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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The UN is incapable of preventing aggressors like Vladimir Putin invading other countries, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed, as he made an impassioned call for reform of the General Assembly and Security Council to end Russia’s war on his country. The president came face-to-face with a Russian diplomat as he addressed the UN Security Council in New York for the first time since Moscow’s invasion of his country. Mr Zelensky urged reform of the world body, saying: “Humankind no longer pins its hopes on the UN when it comes to the defence of the sovereign border of nations.” He added: “We should not wait for the aggression to be over. We need to act now. Our aspiration for peace should drive the reform.” And accusing Moscow of “criminal and unprovoked aggression”, he called on the General Assembly to remove Russia’s veto power on the Security Council. The 15-member council has met dozens of times since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, but it has been unable to take any action because Moscow holds a veto. All eyes had been on a potential encounter between the Ukrainian president and the Russian foreign minister, but Mr Zelensky left the room before Sergei Lavrov spoke, avoiding any clash. Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia had objected to the Ukrainian leader’s addressing the gathering, but his protest was stifled by Albanian prime minister Edi Rama, president of the meeting. Mr Zelensky posted on social media afterwards: “574 days of pain, losses, and struggle have already passed since the start of the full-scale aggression launched by the state, which, for some reason, is still present here among the permanent UNSC members. In a long thread, he wrote: “All in the world see what makes the UN incapable. This seat in the Security Council, which Russia occupied illegally, through backstage manipulations following the collapse of the USSR, has been taken by liars whose job is to whitewash Russia’s ongoing aggression and genocide ... “Veto power in the hands of the aggressor is what has pushed the UN into a dead end… “It is impossible to stop the war because all efforts are vetoed by the aggressor.” His proposals include expanding membership of the security council to include Germany and the African Union, among others. He said the epicentre of efforts to protect territorial integrity and sovereignty and human rights, as well as preventing aggression and genocide should be with the UN’s General Assembly and Security Council. Ukrainian soldiers were doing what the UN should be: holding Russia back, he told the security council, he told members. “Ukraine exercises its right to self-defence,” Mr Zelensky said. “Helping Ukraine with weapons in this exercise, by imposing sanctions and exerting comprehensive pressure on the aggressor, as well as voting for relevant resolutions, would mean helping to defend the UN Charter.” The 193-member General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted several times to condemn the invasion and demand Moscow withdraw its troops. They say Russia has violated the 1945 UN Charter. Mr Lavrov accused Western states of using the charter on “a case-by-case basis exclusively based on their parochial geopolitical needs”, which had shaken global stability and fomented hotbeds of tension, he said. On Thursday, the Ukrainian leader is due in Washington to meet US president Joe Biden, members of Congress and military officials to urge continued support for its war effort. While a majority in Congress still support supplying military aid to Ukraine, sceptical voices among Republicans are growing louder as the war’s cost rises. Mr Biden plans to announce a new military aid package during Mr Zelensky’s visit. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Zelensky accuses Putin of ‘criminal and unprovoked aggression’ violating UN charter Ukraine, Russia and the tense U.N. encounter that almost happened — but didn't Zelensky tells UN to not make deals with ‘evil’ Russia: ‘Ask Prigozhin whether Putin can be trusted’ Grain spat drags Ukraine's ties with ally Poland to lowest point since start of Russian invasion Ukraine rejects defective Leopard 1 tanks from Germany after finding ‘serious faults’ Ukraine's allies make legal arguments at top UN court in support of Kyiv's case against Russia

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Tributes have been paid to Terry Venables after the former England manager died at the age of 80. A statement issued on behalf of his family said: “We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness. “We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so lucky to have had in our lives.” Venables was a popular figure- in the game who managed England during the 90s and led England to the semi-finals of the 1996 Euros. He also took charge of a number of clubs throughout his lengthy career including Barcelona, Tottenham and Crystal Palace. Gary Lineker led the tributes to Venables on social media, writing: "Devastated to hear that Terry Venables has died. The best, most innovative coach that I had the privilege and pleasure of playing for. "He was much more, though, than just a great manager, he was vibrant, he was charming, he was witty, he was a friend. He’ll be hugely missed. Sending love and condolences to Yvette and the family. RIP Terry." The likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Alan Shearer also paid tributes to one of the biggest footballing figures of the 90s. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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