RWS to have the best facilities in its marine life park

Esther Ng Today Online 4 Oct 11;

Winter, the six-year-old dolphin which lost its tail in a crab trap, and the subject of the movie, Dolphin's Tale, would not have had the care or received a prosthetic tail without the "good programmes" of oceanariums and marine life parks.

This was a point made yesterday by Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) consultant Robin Friday, who is in town for a week.

Mr Friday, who is in his 60s, is the chief executive officer of Ocean Embassy, a organisation that engages in marine life education and display. The American spent a month with Winter earlier this year, when the dolphin was based at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida.

According to RWS, Mr Friday's role was to maintain the "continuity of Winter's behavioural learning and development programme" - while covering the duty of a Clearwater staff - after the dolphin developed a "withdrawal syndrome" following the completion of the movie shoot.

In the region to conduct a "peer review" of RWS' Marine Life Park rescue and rehabilitation programme, Mr Friday told Today he was "thoroughly impressed" with the park's rehabilitation facilities.

RWS reiterated yesterday that it has "always been part of the Marine Life Park plan to set up a Rescue and Rehabilitation programme, so as to reach out to other marine mammals such as Winter in future".

Asked what he thought about the well-being of 25 dolphins destined for the park, Mr Friday, who recently visited Ocean Adventure park in The Philippines where they are kept, said: "They have the best acclimation and seapen facilities."

The eight-hectare Marine Life park is scheduled to open next year. ESTHER NG