Dolphins: World is watching (letters to the press)

[Guest guest]

Streats 9 Feb 2004

 

Dolphins: World is watching

 

 

 

I refer to media reports about the Agri-Food and Veterinary's (AVA) decision to

allow the pink dolphins caught in the wild to stay at Underwater World even

though they were not bred in captivity.

 

 

 

If an illegal act has been committed, it should not be condoned by continuing to

hold the dolphins using the reasoning that the party implicated is exonerated

because it is legally authorized to conduct educational and breeding activities

or because the mistake was due to a clerical error.

 

 

 

I understand that the pink dolphins are also used as an attraction to entertain

visitors for a fee.

 

 

 

The fact that this came to light only after the park was raided last December,

because of the intervention of the Animal Concerns Research and Education

Society (Acres), does not present Singapore in a good light to the eyes of the

animal rights groups globally.

 

 

 

Perhaps what is really at issue is not why or how it happened but what

corrective action the international community will see Singapore take

 

 

 

Leong Sze Hian