Straits Times Forum 28 Mar 12;
WHILE it is heartening to read that HCA Hospice Care is organising enriching excursions for terminally ill patients, we are concerned about patients coming into contact with captive dolphins ('Dolphin therapy for terminally ill'; last Saturday).
Dolphins are predators with great physical strength and should always be regarded as the wild animals that they are, with unpredictable natures.
Dolphins cannot adapt well to a life in captivity, where they often display physical and psychological signs of distress. Indeed, in 2001, Namtam, a dolphin held captive at the Dolphin Lagoon, succumbed to acute gastritis, a stress-related illness.
Unnaturally high levels of aggression, probably as a result of stress, have been observed in captive dolphins, and this poses a danger if a person comes into contact with them.
It is worrying to note that Han, one of the dolphins at Dolphin Lagoon who was used for interaction with the hospice patients, was described in the article as having a temper.
There have been many reports of injuries inflicted on members of the public participating in 'swim with dolphin' sessions or other such interactive programmes with captive dolphins, including broken bones and lacerations from bites.
Furthermore, there are many diseases that are known to be transmissible from dolphins to humans, and vice versa. These diseases may not always be evident.
The United States National Marine Fisheries Service has acknowledged that the potential exists for transmission of diseases between wild marine mammals and humans. For example, a variety of opportunistic bacteria found on the skin of dolphins may pose a threat to human health.
For people who are facing serious illnesses and have compromised immune systems, it is extremely risky putting them in a situation where they may be injured by or even contract a disease from a wild animal.
A better and safer alternative is the use of domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats, in animal-assisted therapy programmes, like those provided by Mutts And Mittens in Singapore.
Such programmes have been shown to bring great benefits to participants, and do not entail welfare concerns for the domestic animals involved.
Louis Ng
Executive Director
Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres)
