Marine park opening welcome but...

Straits Times Forum 7 Aug 12;

WE ARE disappointed to learn that Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) has acquired more animals caught in the wild for its upcoming Marine Life Park attraction ("Marine park gets ready for opening"; last Friday).

Its previous decision to buy 27 wild-caught dolphins already went against the recommendation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which advised that such trade might be detrimental to the survival of this species in the Solomon Islands.

RWS has stated that most of the creatures were caught in the wild. How many wild-caught creatures are of the species listed as critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened or data deficient in the IUCN's red list of threatened species? How were these animals caught in the wild?

Although the report said RWS wants its suppliers to guarantee that they use only "non-destructive methods of capture", the reality is that these animals were forcefully removed from the wild.

We look forward to the opening of the Marine Life Park attraction. However, we hope that the attraction focuses on the ethical acquisition of animals and complies with all international guidelines.

Louis Ng
Executive Director
Animal Concerns Research and Education Society