News Archives

January, 2004

Dolphin advocates turn up the heat in Thailand

Approximately 20 police officers recently swarmed the grounds of Oasis Sea World in Laem Singh, Thailand to investigate claims raised by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), out of Singapore. ACRES, a WSPA member society, alleges that the Oasis Sea World illegally exported six wild dolphins to Underwater World, a marine park in Singapore in 1999. Since the export, one of these dolphins has died and ACRES now fears for the future of the remaining dolphins.

Contrary to information given on the permits supplied at the time of the export, ACRES now believes that the six Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphins were born in the wild, not captivity as both parks previously claimed. Further, evidence suggests that the dolphins were captured in Thai waters before being illegally traded to Singapore.

Vichai Wattanapong, the president of Oasis Sea World, admitted that some of the dolphins had been caught in Thai waters, but he claimed that it was done legally. However, Police Major General, Swake Pinsinchai, who led the raid on Oasis Sea World, said that further investigation was needed.

Thailand is recognized as a hotbed of illegal wildlife trafficking and the recent raid on the Oasis marine park is just one of many such investigations undertaken in recent months to help stem the flow of this illegal activity.

ACRES launched its captive dolphin campaign, "Behind the Dolphin's Smile - A look into the plight of dolphins in captivity," in the Fall of 2003, following an intensive investigation into the welfare of Underwater World Singapore's dolphins. Disturbed by the conditions they found at the park and the inherent cruelty faced by captive marine mammals, ACRES has dedicated itself to 1) ending the use of dolphins in animal shows 2) ending the petting and swimming with dolphins at marine facilities 3) ending further imports of dolphins to Singapore and 4) stopping new dolphin facilities from setting up shot in Singapore.