No whale sharks at IR

[Ah_ZhaN]

No whale sharks at IR
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_377584.html
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RESORTS World at Sentosa (RWS) is scrapping its plan to exhibit whale sharks at its upcoming Marine Life Park.

The creatures had been touted as a star attraction for the 8ha oceanarium, the world's largest, when Genting International's RWS won its bid for the Sentosa integrated resort (IR) three years ago.

The plan drew intense flak from animal welfare organisations such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which highlighted the limited space for huge animals that can grow to over 12m long, and their dismal survival rate in captivity.

The developer stuck to its guns - but now may have realised it made a mistake.

RWS spokesman Krist Boo admitted the resort was hoping to back out of its original plan as it believes it may not be able to care for the animals.

She told The Straits Times on Friday: 'We are discussing and exploring an alternative proposal to having whale sharks.'

The new proposal, like any change to the original IR plan, must be presented to the Government.

Lobbying against the whale shark plan began almost as soon as it was announced. In recent months, however, it has increased, with groups such as the SPCA, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society chiming in. An online petition with 9,000 signatures and a Facebook group now numbering 2,000 members have also come up.

RWS said it has been engaging the groups since 2007, though Ms Boo said that its action was not governed by 'fleeting public opinion', but 'conservation of this species'. Only the whale shark exhibit would be changed, she said, adding that the replacement would be conservation-focused.

The change is not expected to affect the cost of the IR, an expected $6.59 billion. The opening date of the Marine Life Park has yet to be confirmed, but will be after RWS' first section opens early next year. It is not clear whether earlier plans to have 700,000 marine creatures, including tiger sharks, piranhas and dolphins, are still in place.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
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I guess this should be a good news.

[Cacatuoides]

Really happy to hear this news!!

[mervin]

Good news for the whale shark !
Same news for all the other oceanic going creatures.....which may not be suitable for captive living......

[luenny]

Nice to hear that. One small step is better than no step at all.

[budak]

maybe they'll have proper whales instead of sharks that pretend to be whales.

[hwchoy]

pity, I would have liked to have a whale shark up close. I think it would create that sense of wonder in some of the youngsters that would led them past the curiosity stage onto a real passion for natural history.

one whale shark to open the minds of generations, good trade.

[Philosophos]

I couldn't agree more, hwchoy.

I don't think they'd admit to caving from public pressure; it would make them vulnerable to similar protests over lesser things in the future. I don't think a group with funding like that would blow so much money on captive whale sharks without some very good risk analysis, either. It's hard to tell what really happened without more detailed information.

If it weren't for yearly visits to the Vancouver aquarium as a child, I probably wouldn't have the appreciation for aquatic life that I do now. Of the sponsors, PETA concerns me the most; they don't want to see pets kept at all. This group is a threat to the hobby, and rational thinking. If it were their way, aquariums would not exist.

On the other hand, if the project was not cost effective when conservation is placed first, I'm glad they're dumping it off. Hopefully it wasn't made nonviable by the negative press created around the issue. If this were the case, I'd support filing a lawsuit against the organizations that started the petition.

-Philosophos

[vratenza]

Don't they have 2 whale sharks on Okinawa aquarium? Thought I saw that on one of the discovery channel's program.

If the whale shark is being kept in good condition that mimics closely the natural environment (ie. large enough aquarium with professional marine life specialist to take care of them), I do not see a problem with having them in aquariums for public education...especially for the children....

These conservation groups should go for those illlegal whalers and shark fin poachers...these are purely fueled by money and greed and they do more harm to the environment. Oh I forgot, the aquarium planners are easier (and safer!) to bully compared to the poachers....

[BFG]

I think they might be swayed by the cost of keeping 1 of the fish alive. Business in singapore is a very profit oriented organization and a fund bleeding operation is never a good sign for shareholder. Nobody wants to be accountable for spending hundred of thousand of singapore dollars to feed a single fish let alone the cost of the upkeep of that fish in the large tank. It might be said that to frighten the said organization, all you have to do is mention the cost of keeping that fish alive versus the number of tourist that will view it might not tally to their profit margin. And if the fish loses it's life when it was held in that organization compound, the reporters will have a field day of reporting the death throughout the world. When that happen, lots of bad publicity will be poured on them and visitor number will fall and of course the profit margin will be affected too. A good business must generate profit, not to raise cost of the operation. Bad publicity is a taboo in asian countries.

As for the ones in Okinawa, someone should really find out the cost of the upkeep of that fish in their setup. The figure might be astronomical.

[Enda]

Most whale sharks don't do well in captivity, I understand. I think the two aquariums that have kept them the longest are the Okinawa Churaumi and Osaka Kaiyukan aquariums. Okinawa aquarium has a very high standard of husbandry, they had the first recording captive breeding of manta rays in 2007 and 2008. I believe that they are trying to breed the whale sharks too.

I've never been to the Okinawa Churaumi, but I've seen the whale shark at Osaka and another one in Taiwan at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. Seeing a whale shark in captivity is very impressive. Of course it is very, very difficult to keep whale sharks in captivity. I believe the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, opened just a couple of years back and purportedly the world's largest aquarium, has not been successful with them.

Of course, there is no way to provide a pelagic animal with the same amount of space that it would have in the wild, though it is possible to give it a very comfortable and healthy life in captivity. This is provided that sufficient effort is put into the animal. I suppose it is justifiable to keep such animals in captivity for the greater aim of public education and captive breeding. It would not be right to keep these animals just because they are sensational and attract visitors.

I think that in the case of the Sentosa IR, an organisation set up to make profits and not for the aim of nature conservation, the right decision has been made.

Just my humble 2 cents worth...

[StanChung]

Okinawa aquarium has 3 whale sharks on exhibit. One has been with them almost ten years according to this article. http://www.mcss.sc/MCNEWS/mcn_v3_1_art3.htm

I have to selfishly think it would be great to be able to pop by Singapore and see a whale shark instead of flying all the way to Okinawa to do so.[though that idea is appealing, I am discouraged by the bigger carbon footprint]

[luenny]

Agree with BFG and Enda. And I want to add another point. If you really want to see a wild animal, go to them and not make them come to you. I know letting a child go to the zoo or aquarium to learn about wild animals is a good way to start their interest in nature. However, if you have seen enough documentaries, you will know that zoo animals act so different from wild ones. Their behavior and the look in their eyes all tell the difference. Maybe it's just me because I'm more sensitive to animal's behavior, but I really can tell the difference. That's also why I stop going to the zoo to shoot anymore - which I originally think is a good place to shoot.

[Philosophos]

Zoos and aquariums offer broad opportunities for research as much as education. I agree, the behavior is different in some animals; specifically mammals. I don't think the average adult goes for in-depth lessons on the behaviors of animals; it's edutainment that helps to support science.

To be honest, the average person is a horrible judge of an animals emotions quite often. I see it with dog and cat owners all the time. It's frequent with horses, as well. I'm not sure non-mammals are even neurologically capable of emotion or self-awareness, with perhaps the exception of higher functioning avians. I think some people expect to see caged animals looking depressed, so they impose that idea upon their circumstances. Captive-bred animals certainly have nothing else to compare to; wild caught animals would be my concern.

-Philosophos

[jwuog]

PC or non-PC, how about a great white shark!

Yeah, that's cool

[XnSdVd]

While I'm sitting on the fence on the issue of whalesharks, this does bring to mind a thought;

A 12m fish in an 8ha aquarium is considered unethical/cruel/evil/heartless.
A 2ft fish in a 4ft aquarium? That's your uncle's arowana!

Why do the megafauna get all the attention of the SPCA and not the animals that, relatively speaking, need their help more?

[Philosophos]

It's the wonder of the human condition; instincts and empathy can really mess with us. You can tell some people that whale sharks show no evidence of theory of mind, no real evidence of being self-aware, but they'll still argue that they have feelings. You can show them behaviors of insects that are comparable, and demand bees and ants have equal rights as whale sharks, and suddenly you're insane.

The average person is wired to go mooshy in the brain from things like soothing sounds, group awareness, calm motions, nonviolent behavior and smooth lines. Some how this condition is a platform for serious decision making to some.

-Philosophos

[StanChung]

Perhaps we shouldn't keep any type of pets in small spaces. Especially those from the wild that are used to large spaces.

[BFG]

PC or non-PC, how about a great white shark!

Yeah, that's cool

Another fish that doesn't do well in captivity. The longest record for great white was a few weeks only. In the wild they patrol a large area, the likes from Africa to Australia. You can keep a tiger in a cage but not a great white in a tank.