AVA to monitor wellbeing of dolphins at Resorts World Sentosa

Channel NewsAsia 9 Feb 13;

SINGAPORE: The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) has filed an official request with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) to investigate possible animal cruelty by Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

In a statement on Friday, ACRES said: "Despite appeals from ACRES and members of the public not to, on 7th and 8th December 2012, RWS went ahead and held fireworks displays near the enclosures the wild-caught dolphins were confined in."

AVA said that it had visited RWS during a fireworks display in January and found that the dolphins were not affected by the pyrotechnics.

It added that it would continue to monitor the wellbeing of the dolphins at RWS.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Marine Life Park (MLP) at RWS which houses the dolphins said they were doing well.

The spokesperson added that the park places the highest priority on the health and comfort of all its animals, and would never, under any circumstances, compromise their well-being in any way.

MLP's facility is designed such that all other activities and operations in the resort would not adversely impact the animals, and an experienced team of animal husbandry professionals constantly monitor the dolphins.

- CNA/al


RWS fireworks caused stress to dolphins: ACRES
Kelly Ng Today Online 9 Feb 13;

SINGAPORE - Animal welfare group ACRES has filed an official request with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to investigate possible animal cruelty by Resorts World Sentosa’s (RWS) staging of a fireworks display near its dolphin enclosure on its opening nights in December.

The group’s move comes after it asked but failed to convince RWS not to hold the 12-minute fireworks displays near to the enclosures of the 24 dolphins in the IR’s oceanarium on Dec 7 and 8 last year. It had also gone to the AVA prior to RWS’ opening, although the authorities found that nothing amiss with the dolphins during a visit last month.

In a press statement yesterday, ACRES’ chief executive Louis Ng said: “ACRES is concerned that the dolphins may be terrified by, or suffer, as a result of fireworks displays.”

The group pointed out that scientific research shows that noise causes distress to cetaceans, a group of marine mammals with very sensitive hearing, including dolphins, whales and porpoises.

Mr Ng expressed doubt that the dolphins were unaffected by the fireworks. “The enclosures are open air, so there is no way the facility could have prevented causing stress to the dolphins,” he said.

In response to TODAY’s queries, RWS asserted that it places “high priority” on the animals in its Marine Life Park. The park facility is also designed such that other resort operations will not adversely affect the animals’ welfare, it added.

“Our dolphins are currently doing well at the park. We place the highest priority on the health and comfort of all our animals, and would never compromise their well-being in any way,” said a park spokesperson.

An AVA spokesperson said it will continue to monitor the well-being of the dolphins in RWS.

This is the latest in a string of protests by ACRES against RWS’ decision to bring in the dolphins which were caught off the Solomon Islands. For instance, it worked closely with Philippine non-governmental organisations to block the export of the dolphins — the animals were kept and trained at Subic Bay, Philippines — to Singapore last year.

In November, the third of the 27 dolphins initially caught en-route here. KELLY NG

Acres seeks probe into fireworks near RWS dolphins
Jessica Lim Straits Times 9 Feb 13;

NON-PROFIT animal rights group Acres has called on the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to investigate possible animal cruelty by Resorts World Sentosa. The issue is a 12-minute fireworks display held near the enclosures of the wild-caught dolphins at the integrated resort in December.

"The fireworks displays may have compromised the dolphins' welfare, as the close proximity and loud noises may have disorientated and distressed them," said Mr Louis Ng, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) chief executive yesterday. When contacted, the AVA said it visited RWS during a fireworks display in January but found that the dolphins were not affected. The Straits Times understands this display was on a smaller scale but at a similar location.

Marine Life Park - where the dolphins are housed - has refuted Acres' allegations. A spokesman said the park is designed so that activities around it will not impact animals inside it.

However, Mr Ng said that it was impossible to prevent the sound of fireworks from reaching the dolphins in an open-air enclosure. Cetaceans - a group of mammals that include whales, dolphins and porpoises - are known to have sensitive hearing, he said, adding that scientific research has shown that noise is a known cause of stress for them.

Acres had previously made an appeal to RWS to refrain from setting off the fireworks.

The fireworks were set off on Dec 7 and Dec 8 to mark RWS' grand opening night. Its Marine Life Park, which opened on Nov 22, has been dogged by controversy since plans to house dolphins there were announced. The dolphin enclosure is not yet open to the public.

Animal rights groups including Acres and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had called for RWS to abort its plans for the dolphins as early as 2009. The calls grew louder in 2010 when two dolphins died at a holding area in Langkawi in Malaysia, and when one of the 25 dolphins died on its way to Singapore in November last year.

When contacted, a spokesman from Marine Life Park said that the dolphins were "doing well".

"We place the highest priority on the health and comfort of all our animals, and would never, under any circumstances, compromise their well-being in any way," he said.

When contacted, the AVA confirmed that they received an e-mail request from Acres yesterday. "We will continue to monitor the well-being of the dolphins at RWS," said its spokesman.