A 10-year old male dolphin that was being flown to Singapore to be part of the attractions of the newly-opened Marine Life Park had expired during the flight.
Wen Wen was among the initial batch of 11 dolphins being shipped from Manila to Singapore. Two marine mammal veterinarians and eight marine mammal specialists accompanying and monitoring the dolphins on the flight responded with emergency medical treatment.
Minus the lone fatality, the other dolphins have now arrived at their destination and are in the process of acclimatizing to their new environment. These dolphins were acquired from the Solomon Islands in 2008 and have been kept in the Philippines for training.
Prior to this incident, wildlife activists in the Philippines had filed a lawsuit to prevent the dolphins from being transported out saying this was a violation of an international treaty regarding the trade of endangered animals and plants.
In Singapore, animal rights activists also fought against the use of dolphins as part of Marine Life Park’s attractions because it was harmful to their survival.
Marine Life Park opened its doors to the public on Thursday and is part of the Resorts World Sentosa casino. It is said to be the largest aquarium in the world comprising of over 800 species of marine animals housed in 45 million liters of water, Interaksyon.com reported.
