Audrey Tan Straits Times 9 Sep 14;
Two newly-acquired manta rays at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) have died, adding to the list of casualties at the Marine Life Park.
Since 2010, RWS has lost four of its 27 wild-caught bottlenose dolphins.
A Marine Life Park spokesman yesterday said the giant rays died while in quarantine, "despite the best efforts and round-the-clock care provided by the husbandry and veterinary teams".
She declined to give further details, but a source told The Straits Times that both creatures died earlier this year.
Marine animals are quarantined before being exhibited to ensure they are disease- and parasite-free, and to give them time to get acclimatised to the temperature and other water conditions.
News of the latest deaths comes after RWS' announcement last week that it is starting a conservation project for manta rays.
Only a handful of aquariums worldwide have these ocean giants because of their size - certain species can grow up to 7m in width and weigh more than two tonnes. They face a high risk of extinction in the wild.
The aquarium's three existing manta rays, which first went on show in 2012, are doing well, said the spokesman.
Animal welfare activists have for years spoken out against keeping large, wide-ranging animals such as dolphins and manta rays at the marine park, particularly those caught in the wild, because they do not fare well in captivity.
Mr Louis Ng, chief executive of advocacy group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, said the group is "saddened by the loss".
"We are not against the park, if they keep species that are not as wide-ranging as dolphins and manta rays," he said, adding that reef fish, because of their small home range, may do better in captivity.
A ray of hope for endangered mantas
Audrey Tan The Straits Times AsiaOne 6 Sep 14;
They are gentle giants of the sea, gliding silently on wings that can span 7m, but little is known about manta rays except that they face a high risk of extinction in the wild.
To learn more about their migratory patterns and how to protect them, researchers are tagging 30 with microchips that will track their movements for up to a year.
The project by United States-based environmental group Conservation International and Resorts World Sentosa's (RWS) SEA Aquarium is the first under a five-year partnership inked in January. The tie-up will focus on conservation, public education and supporting regional projects.
The 30 mantas will be tagged in Indonesian waters, namely in Bali, Raja Ampat, Berau and Komodo, where they gather in large numbers.
These locations comprise four manta tourism sites in Indonesia, where people "pay top dollar" to swim or snorkel with them, said Conservation International's senior adviser, Dr Mark Erdmann.
The manta-ray tagging project is believed to be one of South-east Asia's largest. Each tag costs about US$6,000 (S$7,500) and can track data such as depth and temperature of the water and real-time location of the mantas using Global Positioning System technology. Manta rays are not known to be found in Singapore's waters, although they may occasionally swim past.
National University of Singapore marine biologist Chou Loke Ming said it would be useful to find out more: "In order to protect a species, we need to know more of their behaviour and movement so that we can find effective ways of conserving it."
RWS added that the data could be used by the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to develop conservation and tourism management policies.
Information collected from the project will also be displayed at the aquarium, one of the few in the world to keep the animals in captivity. This month, visitors can also find out more about them at a manta-ray exhibition there. Aside from viewing the three reef manta rays in the aquarium's Open Ocean Habitat section, they can take part in activities such as talks and manta feeding shows.
Although the creatures are seldom kept in aquariums due to their large size, Dr Erdmann said it "was not a welfare issue" as the rays under RWS' care are healthy. "We believe that a public aquarium plays a tremendous role in increasing awareness of ocean issues," he said.
Five facts about manta rays
There are two species of manta ray: the reef manta ray and the oceanic manta ray.
The oceanic manta ray is the larger of the two, with a width span of up to 7m. The reef manta ray's width span is about 5.5m. Both are listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, which means they are considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Manta rays reproduce very slowly - they reach sexual maturity only between eight and 12 years of age and deliver only one pup every three to four years.
Manta rays are being hunted for their gill rakers, which are used in Chinese medicine. Practitioners believe consuming the cartilage supporting the gills will boost the immune system and help reduce toxins and fever.
Manta rays have a skeleton made up of cartilage, just like the shark. This is why both manta rays and sharks are classified under the same class of fish.
Manta rays are sometimes known as the "sea devil" because of their horn-shaped fins. They are filter feeders that feed only on plankton. They do not have any stinging barbs and are harmless to humans.
Professor Chou Loke Ming (NUS marine biologist) and Dr Mark Erdmann (senior adviser of Conservation International), IUCN
