TODAY
Petition to stop captivity
Friday • March 13, 2009
LOCAL animal welfare groups are teaming up with their international counterparts for a public awareness campaign online opposing plans by Resorts World at Sentosa to import whale sharks for its oceanarium.
The seven groups on Wednesday launched a website which calls on the public to “voice their opinions” on the plans to import the whale sharks, described as the largest living fish species.
The integrated resort will feature a Marine Life Park, set to become the world’s biggest oceanarium, with 700,000 fish in 20 million gallons of water.
But the seven organisations, including the international groups Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, are arguing that whale sharks, which can grow up to 20 metres, are listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and do not belong in the facility.
“No man-made environment, no matter how large, could accommodate the needs of a whale shark ... evidence has shown that they fare poorly in captivity,” the groups said in a statement, while acknowledging that the Singapore Tourism Board and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority have committed to ensure that all wild animals are cared for at international standards of animal husbandry.
Campaign coordinator Jaki Teo said that they have received more than 100 emails overnight.
“We hope government organisations will support us on this because this concerns Singapore’s international image. It’s not just a tourist attraction, people will come and say ‘what’s a whale shark doing in Singapore?’” she said.
RWS defended its plans, saying the threat that whale sharks face “makes the role of aquariums in their conservation all the more crucial”. The Marine Life Park’s goal is to “help protect the species’ wild population from disappearing”, and it has worked closely with marine experts to give the animals “top-class care”, said the resort. AFP
http://www.whalesharkpetition.com/
