Guest guest Posted January 4, 2004 Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/1/4/focus/7030899 & sec=focus ________________________ Sunday January 4, 2004 A helping hand in conserving wildlife WE refer to the comments made by Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Sunday Star, Dec 21) on the arrival of 20 penguins at Underwater World Langkawi. The comments are duly noted and the organisation’s concern for the well-being of captive wildlife is fully appreciated and, indeed, shared by us. The Rockhoppers’ transaction had been legal and duly approved by all relevant authorities (from the administration of the Tristan da Cunha Island Group, to the South African government and to the appropriate Malaysian authorities). Therefore, the argument presented by Sahabat Alam Malaysia is essentially an ethical one which, by definition, must then be extended to all captive animal collections, including zoos and animal parks worldwide. The statement that mentioned “spending a vast amount of money on the acquisition of these birds, the money would be better spent in wildlife conservation” is rather simplistic. It disregards the enormous contributions made by zoos, aquariums and related institutions to the survival of endangered species and to the reintroduction of near-extinct species back to the wild through comprehensive captive breeding programmes of various species. With the arrival of the Rockhopper penguins at Underwater World Langkawi, our organisation is laying the groundwork for ultimately joining other world-class zoological institutions that are actively engaged in captive-breeding programmes. The statement “tourists to Malaysia are more intent in watching our wildlife in their natural surroundings” may well be true. In the final analysis, however, we must never lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of the Malaysian public will not have the financial resources for expensive wildlife excursions to the remote regions of other countries, but most will be able to afford a visit to the local or regional zoo. As such, the presence of the Rockhopper penguins at Underwater World Langkawi is to provide an opportunity to Malaysians and foreign tourists who are unable to visit and experience the Sub-Antarctic. Underwater World Langkawi is helping to conserve the Rockhoppers by bringing them closer to humans for public education purposes and protecting the penguins from external disasters. We are also using Underwater World Langkawi as a research and education centre. We hope that with a better understanding of the species, it would help create better awareness and help conserve threatened species. HAJI TANZIL MOHD NOOR General Manager Underwater World Langkawi <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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