FROM THIS:

“Free the Dolphins?”
I have visited DL Singapore countless times, taking my friends from overseas there to experience the magical encounter of meeting the dolphins. Needless to say I’ve met Jumbo. I am not a dentist, but his decayiing teeth was apparent. Jumbo, as I recall the trainer telling me is already in his late 20s, early 30s, a relatively matured dolphin, surely his teeth would decay? Isn’t the arrangement of removing his teeth better than having him to suffer in pain when the decaying starts to attack his nerves?

I’ve seen the trainers work with these dolphins and have spoken with them and I must say they are doing a good job. The interactions between the trainers and dolphins convey a message that Jumbo trusts them and enjoy their company. Each time I look at them in the water you can see the love and care the trainers show for these lovely animals. Even when the trainers leave the waters, Jumbo would stay at the shore before he reluctantly leaves. All these behaviors that he expresses definitely do not show that he’s suffering. The trainers care for the dolphin an awful lot. They’re very strict when it comes with interactions and limit only a restricted number of people going into the waters when interacting with the dolphins. I know this, because my friend could not enter the water on one occasion for we were late and didn’t manage to get the limited amount of tickets available for interaction. The dolphins' welfare is their top priority.

These dolphins are an endangered species. What makes people so sure that once the dolphin is being released back into the wild, they will be able to survive? Dolphins are vulnerable to human-induced habitat changes. They suffer from incidental mortality in fisheries, hydroelectric development, deforestation, boat traffic, hunting, habitat loss, entanglement in fishing nets, prey depletion (lack of food) and pollution from agriculture and industry. We like to believe that once we “free” them they would naturally be able to survive on their own. What we do not know is that they face a higher risk of death and illness out there. From the very beginning to start off with, they have been under human care for some time. If we “throw” them back into the open sea just like that, will they be able to hunt for their daily food consumption? From what I now, blood samples are taken on a weekly basis to test if the dolphin is unwell. And from there, vitamins will be given to treat it if say, example if its having a flu. People visit the lagoon to appreciate and learn about the threats these animals face and are being educated on conserving the environment. Visitors have a better appreciation for wildlife and conservation issues. As I quote from the Singapore Zoological Gardens, Chief Executive Bernard Harrison, "People love the stars of the show, and when they know that their wild counterparts are threatened, they sympathize, and maybe, voice their feelings." This is also what the zoo believes “We consider educating guests on environmental issues our most important contribution to conservation. Guests come to the Zoo to relax and to be entertained, so learning about wildlife has to be fun. This is why we have the Animal Shows, Animal Feeding Programmes and Breakfast and Tea With An Orang. These activities are meant to entertain but there are also ample opportunities to integrate conservation messages, and these messages are likely to have greater impact on a captive audience.”
So maybe what we should campaign about is to end further captures from the wild of whales and dolphins. Also very importantly is to conserve our environment and try our best to stop our world from further destruction and look forward for a better tomorrow

Ms. R. Raelyn Li



to THIS:

Trainers give loving care
I HAVE visited DL countless times and have met Jumbo. That his teeth were decaying was apparent.

I recall the trainer telling me that Jumbo is already in his late 20s or early 30s. Surely, his teeth would decay?

I have seen the trainers work with the dolphins and spoken with them. Watching them and the dolphins, I could see that Jumbo trusts them and enjoys their company.

Each time I look at them in the water I could see the love and care the trainers have for the lovely animals. Even when the trainers leave the water, Jumbo would stay at the shore before he reluctantly leaves.

The trainers care an awful lot for the dolphins. They are very strict when it comes to interaction with the public and admit only a small number into the water to interact with the dolphins.


R. RAELYN LI



talk about summarizing.... i really must say straits times just do the job....

I LOVE THIS THE BEST!!

Do not judge animals by human emotions
I REFER to the report, 'Protesters want all dolphins to be freed' (ST, Sept 13). I support their noble aims to improve the welfare of animals in captivity and to foster compassion towards animals.

However, some of these groups claim to have animal welfare at heart but their goals and motives are derived from anthropomorphising animal behaviour and needs.

Each animal species is different from another. There is no animal that can be understood just by human emotions and feelings.

Hence while it is human of Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (Acres) to say that captive dolphins are suffering, not smiling, and while this may be effective in stirring emotions, these creatures should not be judged by human understanding.

We should understand the meaning of animal existence by observing animals. Anyone who has observed animals in the wild or in captivity will know that the sole pre-occupation of animals is to survive and breed. Insects, fishes, birds, reptiles and mammals are all the same. Each animal attempts to hide from its predators, hunt or look for food, fight off competition, seek out a mate or mates, breed and either raise or abandon their young altogether.

Animals that are feeding or breeding in the wild or in captivity are therefore preoccupied with their life's aims and hence not stressed in the human sense of the word.

Even if they spend their time hiding or fighting, it does not mean that the animals are stressed. Many animals are by nature aggressive. For example, bull elephants are aggressive during the mating season and in the wild will charge at rocks and trees. In captivity, elephant keepers are sometimes attacked. This is not stress, it is nature.

Furthermore, lest Acres thinks that life in the oceans is a breeze, one need only watch animal documentaries to know that it is a jungle out there.

Besides sharks and other predators, there are huge fishing nets and lines, coral reef destruction and poison. On land there is the constant clearing of forests, even protected ones.

I am an ardent conservationist and am all for forest conservation; indeed, this is the only way to conserve and ensure the survival of many small animals which cannot be kept in captivity or that are unknown as yet to science.

For most large animals, their world is shrinking. Many such animals can survive only in captivity; to return them to their diminishing wilderness, whether on land or in the sea, is to condemn them to death.

Some examples may be instructive. The Arabian Oryx vanished from the wild in Arabia and was re-introduced to its native land only because there was a breeding stock in captivity in England.

The Pere David Deer was extinct in the wild in China and was only discovered as a new species within the imperial gardens in Beijing.

The Indian Tiger all but disappeared in the wild in India and survived only in forests kept by maharajahs for hunting them.

It is an irony but often the very act of releasing animals may condemn the animal to death, and the species to extinction.


PROF FRANCIS SEOW-CHOEN


AND THIS TOTALLY SUCKS:

Do the humane thing:
Return dolphins to the wild

I REFER to the article, 'Protesters want all dolphins to be freed' (ST, Sept 13). Mr Bruce Mackay, Underwater World's curatorial director, said: 'Jumbo is not aggressive. Its behaviour is natural instinct during mating, where it will compete with the other male dolphin for attention. And we removed its teeth because they were fractured or decaying.'However, reports in Today and the newsletter of the Singapore Dental Association state that the teeth were extracted because Jumbo was fighting with another male dolphin. While males in the wild do compete for females, the fights among animals seldom lead to bodily harm. The high level of aggression observed at DL is an indication of mental and physical stress. Underwater World states that the dolphins are never deprived of food to induce them to perform. However, its staff have revealed to us - recorded on video - that: 'The time we feed them is actually during the show. When they do something correct, we feed them. This is positive reinforcement, a method used by us to train the dolphins.'
Indeed, Han and Euang, the two performing dolphins, are fed 6.5kg of fish during the show, out of the 7.5kg fed to them the whole day. They do not perform tricks because they enjoy doing it. Rather, they perform because they are hungry. While Underwater World says that there are fish in the lagoon and that the dolphins have been hunting them on top of the food it provides, staff told us: 'There are some, but usually quite small, so they do a form of play, they catch it for fun.' We are therefore campaigning for the release of the dolphins at DL , back into the wild. This humane act will give back to the dolphins the freedom they once enjoyed.
LOUIS NG
President,
Animal Concerns Research and Education Society

SCREW YOU!! KMA


no basis of evidence at all arsehole

.:pseudonym:. burned at 11:46 PM