'Cruelty' cited

ENJOY watching them on television, but don't get up close and personal.

Animal rights group gave this advice to the public as they picketed an Indonesian-based traveling dolphin show at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City on Thursday to protest what they called "a cruel form of entertainment."

The show "Wonderful World of Dolphins," which runs until Jan. 7, features two bottlenose dolphins, Tutti and Frutti and their front act, Jello and Jumbo, a father-and-son team of sea lions.

Members of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society Earth Island Institute (EII), Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment and Agham (Science and Technology Advocates for the People) on Thursday gave out pamphlets and presented videos aimed at enlightening the public about the "cruelties" that transpire before the dolphins are able to perform.

"What the show actually imparts to its audience is that it's okay to exploit animals for the sake of amusement," said Anna Cabrera, a PAWS director.

The dolphins were hunted down and its parents killed in the process while trying to protect them, she added. "They jump through hoops, but this is not their natural behavior. What many don't know is that these dolphins are starved in order to obey their trainers and are subjected repeatedly to the stress that comes when they are moved from place to place."

Captive dolphins live up to a maximum of 20 years, compared to those in the wild who have a life span of 60 years. Those in captivity eventually turn blind because of the chlorinated water in pools where they are confined.

Trixie Concepcion of EII lamented that the Philippines did not have specific standards for the welfare of performing animals. The group has been lobbying with the Bureau of Animal Industry, the government agency tasked to implement the Animal Welfare Act, to adopt standards but "we have been ignored," she said. Similar shows have already been banned in the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Nicaragua, Australia and New Zealand, the group pointed out.

Meanwhile, Noel Sanchez, assistant vice president of SM Investments Corp., said they were not aware of the "deeper issues" behind such shows when they leased a portion of the mall' property to its organizers, Movers and Shakers.

"They had government permits. We also put up a structure sturdy enough to guarantee the audience's safety," Sanchez said, adding that SM was not involved in the promotion of the show.

Fem Paguio, one of the organizers, who said they were not aware of the "real issues," said both SM and his company vowed this would be their "first and last animal show."

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer