 Dolphins in Singapore
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Oct. 22, 2003 — Dolphins being kept at a popular Singapore resort island to perform for the public are being exploited and should be set free before they die in captivity, an animal welfare group said Wednesday.
The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) said that six Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins at the Dolphin Lagoon on Sentosa Island were beginning to show stress-related signs that could be fatal.
It submitted a petition backing its call for the dolphins' release signed by 8,399 people and 44 worldwide animal rights organizations, including the World Society for the Protection of Animals.
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Haw Par Corporation, which owns the Dolphin Lagoon, issued a statement on Wednesday denying all of ACRES' allegations.
ACRES' president and biologist Louis Ng said one female dolphin at the Dolphin Lagoon died of acute gastritis, a stress-related illness, and two male dolphins fought this year in the enclosure — a sign of stress.
Ng also said the dolphins were being kept in a one-hectare (2.47-acre) enclosure that is about four meters (13 feet) deep — only 0.0003 percent of their natural home range of about 30 to 400 square kilometers (12 to 160 square miles.)
Some of the dolphins are also made to perform "unnatural" tricks during 30-minute performances four times daily, Ng said.
Ng urged Singapore to follow the path of "progressive countries", including the United Kingdom and Brazil, which no longer have dolphinariums but dolphin-watching tours instead.
Haw Par Corporation said in its denial of ACRES' charges that the dolphins were not being mistreated and their shows for tourists increased awareness and sympathy for the plight of the species.
It said keeping the dolphins in captivity did not shorten their lifespan.
"Scientific studies have in fact shown that dolphins in marine parks live as long as those in the wild," the company said in the statement.
Dolphin Lagoon is part of the Underwater World oceanarium on Sentosa, an island popular with foreign tourists as well as locals.
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Name: Indo-Pacific Humpbacked Dolphin, aka Chinese White Dolphin (Sousa chinensis)
Primary Classification: Odontoceti (Toothed Whales) Location: Indian and Pacific oceans. Habitat: Warm, coastal waters, especially near mangroves. Diet: Fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Size: Up to 7.5 ft in length and 220 lbs in weight. Description: Generally light gray or blue in color, but also pink or white; speckled underside; sloping forehead; long, slender beak; double-step dorsal fin; elongated hump. Cool Facts: They can be aggressive, often chasing off — and even killing — sharks. They slap their tail flukes and their heads on the water, a form of communication. Conservation Status: Data Deficient |
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