ACRES to appeal against dolphins being sent to RWS

SINGAPORE: Animal rights groups in Singapore and the Philippines have appealed to the Philippine court to prevent 25 dolphins from being exported to Singapore’s Marine Life Park.

A 72—hour protection order has been lifted, but the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) is still fighting to prevent the export of the dolphins to the marine park in Sentosa.

The temporary environment protection order was issued last week after some animal rights groups in the Philippines filed a civil suit.

The order barred the shipment of dolphins caught in the waters of Solomon Islands to the Marine Life Park.

The court had earlier decided on this on the grounds that doing so would cause irreparable damage to the dolphins, which are currently kept at Ocean Adventure Park in Subic.

ACRES is requesting for the judge who lifted the temporary environment protection order to step down.

Chief executive of ACRES, Louis Ng, said: "We’re also going to ask that the judge recuse herself. She stated in the courts that these dolphins are pets. You can’t say that these dolphins are pets, because they are wild animals.

"We’re hopeful that the courts will review this case, follow the recommendations of the first judge who reviewed the scientific literature available and realise that this trade is unsustainable."

ACRES is also launching a

website

to build public support for its campaign to send the dolphins back to the Solomon Islands.

The animal rights group has proposed that the dolphins spend about 20 months in Solomon Islands getting used to their natural habitat before they are released into the wild.

In response, Resorts World Sentosa said it has spent "considerable time educating ACRES on facts" about its facility, animal care and intent.

It added that it will spare no effort and time in ensuring that the marine animals get the best care possible.

RWS added, "We urge ACRES to focus on areas where it can constructively contribute to marine conservation."

— CNA/cc