Shame On Sunway For Supporting Dolphin and Sea Lion Show
My letter sent out to the editors of the newspapers recently objecting to the Sunway Pyramid Dolphin and Sea Lion show. I urge all Malaysians to send similar letter of protests to editor@thestar.com.my, editor@malaysiakini.com, letters@thesundaily.com:
Sunway Pyramid supporting traveling freak show
For too long Malaysians who care about our environment and animal welfare have had to put up with backyard breeders, and holiday resorts and amusement parks that abuse and exploit animals in the name of “education” and “entertainment”’.
Do we really need to enter the New Year with shopping malls carrying on this sickening legacy?
There is a Dolphin and Sea Lion show currently taking place on the grounds of Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall. The Sunway Group is not the show’s proprietor and claim to be only hosting the shows from Dec 1 to Feb 7.
Yet, the mall works hand-in-glove with the proprietors by encouraging the public to shop at Sunway Pyramid to obtain a 30% discount on the show’s tickets.
Dolphins are highly intelligent creatures. Their family bond lasts a lifetime. Stealing them from the wild for "entertainment" breaks up their family unit and keeps the ones in captivity under severe stress.
In 1983, at Tokerau Beach in Northland, New Zealand, dolphins rescued stranded and disorientated whales. They risked their lives by swimming into the shallows and “herded” the whales out to sea. The same thing happened in Whangerei harbour, New Zealand, five years later.
In the US, SeaWorld’s dolphin and sea lion shows employ scientists, zoologists, and trainers, and sends out rescue teams that participate in research and wildlife preservation.
SeaWorld’s teams have helped save stranded whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. And they have helped raise the awareness of endangered manatees. SeaWorld is committed to conservation, research and animal rescue. Yet they too have been criticized by the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society because it is cruel to keep these intelligent animals in captivity.
Look at the contrast here in Malaysia. I spoke to the Sunway Pyramid Dolphin and Sea Lion show’s proprietor who only gave his name as Daniel. He called the marine animals, “fish” and admitted he didn’t have any marine biologist working with the animals.
Daniel refused to say if those dealing with these mammals are trained, but only stressed that he ensured the temperature in the tents where the shows were being held was regulated and that he had spent much money to ensure they were kept in sea water.
He refused to describe the dolphins enclosure nor how they were transported. The shows are held in makeshift tents, presumably to make it easy to pack up and leave.
Dolphins and sea lions should not be dragged about on some traveling freak show. Those reading this letter should visit http://www.orcanetwork.org/captivity/keikostory.html and read the touching story of Keiko the Orca whale featured in the movie Free Willy.
The link provides the chronological sequence of how Keiko was captured, and suffered at marine parks in Mexico and the US just to entertain people, before a global outcry returned him to the open sea.
When will people realize that animals don’t exist for our entertainment? If the public wants to see a dolphin, hook up with a conservationist or marine biologist and go see them in their natural habitat.
If you can't travel, don’t bother. Be content to watch them on Animal Planet.. It won't affect the quality of your life one bit. But it turns the lives of these animals upside down. They are so tortured that it is better to kill them than force them to live a life in captivity.
One blogger who attended the show at Sunway Pyramid complained about it on her blog at http://mayawilmot.blogspot.com/2009/12/more-like-dolphin-abuse-to-me.html
She expressed shock that these animals were kept in tiny enclosures and forced to work long hours. She expressed disgust that the host of the show “talked nonsense” and offered no educational information that would help kids learn how to care for animals and the environment..
Sunway Pyramid, shame on you for aiding and abetting this traveling freak show.
The Remembering Sheena Campaign
Sunway Pyramid supporting traveling freak show
For too long Malaysians who care about our environment and animal welfare have had to put up with backyard breeders, and holiday resorts and amusement parks that abuse and exploit animals in the name of “education” and “entertainment”’.
Do we really need to enter the New Year with shopping malls carrying on this sickening legacy?
There is a Dolphin and Sea Lion show currently taking place on the grounds of Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall. The Sunway Group is not the show’s proprietor and claim to be only hosting the shows from Dec 1 to Feb 7.
Yet, the mall works hand-in-glove with the proprietors by encouraging the public to shop at Sunway Pyramid to obtain a 30% discount on the show’s tickets.
Dolphins are highly intelligent creatures. Their family bond lasts a lifetime. Stealing them from the wild for "entertainment" breaks up their family unit and keeps the ones in captivity under severe stress.
In 1983, at Tokerau Beach in Northland, New Zealand, dolphins rescued stranded and disorientated whales. They risked their lives by swimming into the shallows and “herded” the whales out to sea. The same thing happened in Whangerei harbour, New Zealand, five years later.
In the US, SeaWorld’s dolphin and sea lion shows employ scientists, zoologists, and trainers, and sends out rescue teams that participate in research and wildlife preservation.
SeaWorld’s teams have helped save stranded whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. And they have helped raise the awareness of endangered manatees. SeaWorld is committed to conservation, research and animal rescue. Yet they too have been criticized by the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society because it is cruel to keep these intelligent animals in captivity.
Look at the contrast here in Malaysia. I spoke to the Sunway Pyramid Dolphin and Sea Lion show’s proprietor who only gave his name as Daniel. He called the marine animals, “fish” and admitted he didn’t have any marine biologist working with the animals.
Daniel refused to say if those dealing with these mammals are trained, but only stressed that he ensured the temperature in the tents where the shows were being held was regulated and that he had spent much money to ensure they were kept in sea water.
He refused to describe the dolphins enclosure nor how they were transported. The shows are held in makeshift tents, presumably to make it easy to pack up and leave.
Dolphins and sea lions should not be dragged about on some traveling freak show. Those reading this letter should visit http://www.orcanetwork.org/captivity/keikostory.html and read the touching story of Keiko the Orca whale featured in the movie Free Willy.
The link provides the chronological sequence of how Keiko was captured, and suffered at marine parks in Mexico and the US just to entertain people, before a global outcry returned him to the open sea.
When will people realize that animals don’t exist for our entertainment? If the public wants to see a dolphin, hook up with a conservationist or marine biologist and go see them in their natural habitat.
If you can't travel, don’t bother. Be content to watch them on Animal Planet.. It won't affect the quality of your life one bit. But it turns the lives of these animals upside down. They are so tortured that it is better to kill them than force them to live a life in captivity.
One blogger who attended the show at Sunway Pyramid complained about it on her blog at http://mayawilmot.blogspot.com/2009/12/more-like-dolphin-abuse-to-me.html
She expressed shock that these animals were kept in tiny enclosures and forced to work long hours. She expressed disgust that the host of the show “talked nonsense” and offered no educational information that would help kids learn how to care for animals and the environment..
Sunway Pyramid, shame on you for aiding and abetting this traveling freak show.
The Remembering Sheena Campaign
posted by Shoba @ 1:40 PM
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