SINGAPORE: There was drama on Monday at the Resorts
World Sentosa's corporate office after dolphin activist Ric
O'Barry, 72, and representatives from animal welfare group Animal
Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES) turned up
unannounced.
The group wanted to meet RWS chief executive Tan Hee Teck - having
had two requests in the last week turned down - to hand him a
petition to release and rehabilitate 25 dolphins which the
integrated resort has bought for its Marine Life Park.
With Mr Tan unavailable, the petition was passed to an RWS
employee.
But the group subsequently got wind that Ocean Embassy founder
Robin Friday - who has been engaged by RWS as a consultant for its
Marine Life Park - was turning up for an interview with this
newspaper. They then decided to wait for Mr Friday, in order to
"challenge him to a public debate", in the words of Mr
O'Barry.
The debate did not materialise: Mr Friday, who is in his 60s, did
not turn up at the office and opted for a phone interview with this
reporter later in the day.
In response to TODAY's queries, a Marine Life Park spokesperson
reiterated: "We welcome dialogue with ACRES and perhaps this can be
arranged at a mutually-agreeable time. While we have differing
views about the dolphins in our care, we respect the mission of
animal groups concerned about the welfare of animals. On this we
are on common ground."
The spokesperson added: "As for Mr O'Barry, whose agenda is to
release the dolphins, we haven't seen any reason to meet. We have
long said that we believe that our dolphins will play a significant
and meaningful role for marine conservation. Bottlenose dolphins
have thrived and propagated in human care. They contribute immense
knowledge and experience to marine mammal specialists, whom are
using all that today to help dolphins both in the wild and in
facilities."
Mr O'Barry pointed out that he has released several dolphins after
years of captivity to positive results. He said: "You want to swim
with the dolphins, but what about how they feel? The key solving
all our environmental problems is to control our desires."
In response, the RWS spokesperson noted that the dolphins under its
care for the past three years are "doing well".
The spokesperson added: "The track record of dolphin
reintroductions is patchy at best, and we will be gravelly
irresponsible to even consider that." - TODAY