Leong Wee Keat, Today Online 17 Feb 10;
Eighteen dolphins - enroute to the Marine Life Park at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) - are reportedly stranded in the Philippines.
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the bottlenose dolphins are now at the Ocean Adventure marine park at Subic Bay.
The Feb 5 report said that the marine mammals, imported from the Solomon Islands, were to have been sent to Singapore by the end of last year. But they are still in the care of Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium, the company contracted to train them.
The delay, according to the report, is because the facilities to house them in Singapore are not finished. When contacted, RWS spokesman Robin Goh told MediaCorp that "construction of the Marine Life Park is on schedule and is slated for an opening after 2010".
Bottlenose dolphins, one of the most common in the world, are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) and their trade is regulated. Activists have questioned the need to import wild dolphins. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has posted the Philippine newspaper report on its Facebook page.
Executive officer Deirdre Moss said the society "objects to the keeping of dolphins in captivity, as they are usually caught/kept for the purpose of training to entertain/amuse the public" and in doing so, they are "also forced to adapt to an alternative lifestyle in a man-made structure".
Mr Goh said animals acquired for its Marine Life Park are in accordance with the Cites agreement. "In the meantime, the dolphins are in good hands and being looked after according to international standards," he added.
LEONG WEE KEAT
More background information on Will there be dolphins at Resorts World Sentosa? Part 2 on the wild shores of singapore blog.
