Dolphin activist fails to meet RWS management

Ric O'Barry had hoped to appeal in person for release of 25 mammals
Straits Times 4 Oct 11;

A FEW months ago, a well-known American dolphin activist wrote to Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) appealing to the integrated resort to free the 25 dolphins it plans to showcase at its upcoming Marine Life Park.

Yesterday, Mr Ric O'Barry visited RWS, hoping to make the appeal in person to its chief executive Tan Hee Teck.

When he arrived, he was told that neither Mr Tan nor any of the senior management staff was available to meet him.

A disappointed Mr O'Barry, 72, who shot to fame with his movie, The Cove, on the killing of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, repeated his call to RWS to show that it is a 'true steward of the environment' and 'a responsible company sensitive to the harm captivity inflicts on dolphins'.

He is giving a public talk tonight organised by Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), which has also lobbied RWS to free the dolphins caught in waters off the Solomon Islands, near Papua New Guinea.

The marine mammal specialist had offered his help to rehabilitate and release the dolphins back to their native habitat.

Yesterday, Mr O'Barry said the offer still stands, adding: 'The dolphins can adapt to their home range where they were born much easier than the concrete, steel and glass tanks at the Marine Life Park. If Resorts World frees the dolphins, it will be a massive windfall of good publicity for them.'

The activist, who investigated dolphin hunts in the Solomon Islands for a television documentary last year, said he hopes, through his public talk, to inform Singaporeans on how dolphins are caught in the wild and why it is cruel to keep them in captivity.

'The dolphins are corralled into a cove by the villagers. The healthy ones are caught to be sold to aquariums but the others are speared, clubbed and stabbed to death.'

RWS has never revealed how much it paid for the 27 bottlenose dolphins bought from Canadian dolphin trader Chris Porter in 2008 and 2009. Two of them died from a water-borne bacterial infection in Langkawi, Malaysia, in October last year.

The remaining 25 are being housed at Ocean Adventure in Subic Bay in the Philippines.

The original plan to exhibit them along with whale sharks drew flak from environmental groups and animal lovers here. In May 2009, RWS scrapped that plan, saying it might not be able to care for whale sharks, which can grow to more than 12m and weigh 15 tonnes.

When asked why RWS management declined to meet the activist, its spokesman Krist Boo said they had 'no reason to meet Mr O'Barry, whose agenda is to seek the release of the dolphins'.

She added that the dolphins have been in the resort's care for three years and, since the track record of releasing dolphins back into the wild is patchy, RWS will be 'gravely irresponsible' to consider such an act.

She said the dolphins will not be used for spa therapy or shows at the Marine Life Park, which will open next year.

Instead, RWS will create a 'marine-mammal encounter programme' that will allow the dolphins and guests to interact in a safe and controlled environment.

'Guests will observe, feel and learn about the dolphins up close and personal, while learning about the biological behaviour and protection of these charismatic and intelligent animals.'

She added that RWS is preparing to set up a breeding programme as well as a rescue and rehabilitation one for the dolphins.

Dolphin rescue and rehabilitation expert Robin Friday from Miami in the United States, who spent one month helping to care for Winter, the dolphin star in the recently released movie, Dolphin Tale, is acting as consultant for RWS' rescue and rehabilitation programme.

But Mr O'Barry said catching and confining these animals, and training them to become something they are not, cannot possibly contribute towards constructive education on marine life and environmental issues.

Through the media, he had invited Mr Friday to attend his dialogue at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel to debate the issue.

But Mr Friday has turned down the invitation, saying he has no interest in debating him.

Controversy continues

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) bought 27 bottlenose dolphins from a Canadian trader in 2008 and 2009.

Nine were kept at a holding unit in Langkawi, Malaysia, while the rest were housed at Ocean Adventure in Subic Bay in the Philippines.

Two dolphins died from a bacterial infection in Langkawi last October. A few months later, the remaining seven were transferred to the Philippines.

RWS' original plan was to exhibit the dolphins along with whale sharks in its 8ha Marine Life Park, which will be ready next year. But the plan drew criticism from environmental groups and animal lovers.

In May 2009, RWS scrapped the plan to exhibit whale sharks but said it would go ahead with its plan to use the dolphins.

Recently, more animal lovers both here and abroad have come out to oppose RWS' moves. Two US-based online activist groups, Avaaz and Change.org, have gathered nearly 800,000 signatures from members worldwide, including Singaporeans.

No debate on dolphins
Esther Ng Today Online 4 Oct 11;

SINGAPORE - There was drama yesterday at the Resorts World Sentosa's corporate office after dolphin activist Ric O'Barry, 72, and representatives from animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES) turned up unannounced.

The group wanted to meet RWS chief executive Tan Hee Teck - having had two requests in the last week turned down - to hand him a petition to release and rehabilitate 25 dolphins which the integrated resort has bought for its Marine Life Park.

With Mr Tan unavailable, the petition was passed to an RWS employee.

But the group subsequently got wind that Ocean Embassy founder Robin Friday - who has been engaged by RWS as a consultant for its Marine Life Park - was turning up for an interview with this newspaper. They then decided to wait for Mr Friday, in order to "challenge him to a public debate", in the words of Mr O'Barry.

The debate did not materialise: Mr Friday, who is in his 60s, did not turn up at the office and opted for a phone interview with this reporter later in the day (see box).

In response to Today's queries, a Marine Life Park spokesperson reiterated: "We welcome dialogue with ACRES and perhaps this can be arranged at a mutually-agreeable time. While we have differing views about the dolphins in our care, we respect the mission of animal groups concerned about the welfare of animals. On this we are on common ground."

The spokesperson added: "As for Mr O'Barry, whose agenda is to release the dolphins, we haven't seen any reason to meet. We have long said that we believe that our dolphins will play a significant and meaningful role for marine conservation. Bottlenose dolphins have thrived and propagated in human care. They contribute immense knowledge and experience to marine mammal specialists, whom are using all that today to help dolphins both in the wild and in facilities."

Mr O'Barry pointed out that he has released several dolphins after years of captivity to positive results. He said: "You want to swim with the dolphins, but what about how they feel? The key solving all our environmental problems is to control our desires."

In response, the RWS spokesperson noted that the dolphins under its care for the past three years are "doing well".

The spokesperson added: "The track record of dolphin reintroductions is patchy at best, and we will be gravelly irresponsible to even consider that."