Whale death revives calls for Subic park's closure

[Juan Tamad]

July 18, 2005
Updated 03:29am (Mla time)
Blanche Rivera
Inquirer News Service

ANIMAL lovers are enlisting the help of environment and health officials to save the two remaining false killer whales kept in a marine park in Subic Bay, along with dolphins and sea lions, after another juvenile whale used for the park's shows died last week.

The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and the Earth Island Institute-Philippines have sought the closure of the popular Ocean Adventure Park, which is partly operated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

The death of Hook, a 13-year-old female false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), on July 8 captured international attention and revived the campaign against the use of marine mammals for shows.

Hook's death, which was reported by Ocean Adventure officials last week, was featured on CNN on July 11, according to the EII-Philippines.

Hook is the third whale to die in captivity at the Ocean Adventure Park since it opened in 2001. Coral, 11 years old, died in January last year, while Deuce, a 9-year-old male false killer whale, died in July 2001.

All died of gastro-intestinal illness.

Cruelty

"The height of animal cruelty is to deprive an animal of its life. In the wild, false killer whales live up to 62 years of age, but confinement in Ocean Adventure will make sure that none of these animals live to reach maturity," EII coordinator Trixie Concepcion said.

A park official failed to issue a statement when contacted by the Inquirer yesterday.

Ocean Adventure is operated by the Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium (SBME), a joint venture between the SBMA and a group of Americans.

SBME imported the five false killer whales from the Beijing Aquarium in 2001, and eight sea lions and four bottle-nose dolphins from Japan, one of only two countries still engaged in whaling.

Concepcion said the death of three of the five false killer whales in the park proved that whales and dolphins could not survive long in captivity.

Infections

Placing dolphins and whales, which roam the sea for hundreds of kilometers daily, in captivity causes an abrupt change in their systems that disrupts their behavior. This change could affect their immune system and make them more susceptible to infections, the EII said.

Marine experts describe the false killer whale as a small porpoise closely resembling the pilot whale, its close relative.

False killer whales weigh 1.1-2.2 tons and are completely black in color, although some "may have a gray patch shaped like an anchor that extends from the lower jaw to the naval and flippers." The males grow to 19 ft (5.7 m) long, and the females grow at a slightly smaller length of 16.3 ft (4.9 m).

They are fast, active swimmers. They are very intelligent and highly trainable, which is why they are displayed in many marine parks. They feed mainly upon squid, octopus and cuttlefish, as well as fish such as cod. They have also been known to feed upon marine mammals.

Death probe

Last week, the EEI and PAWS asked three Cabinet secretaries to investigate the deaths of the marine mammals in Ocean Adventure Park.

In a letter, the two groups urged Environment Secretary Michael Defensor, Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban and Health Secretary Francisco Duque to form a team that will check the park's facilities and its use of marine mammals for amusement.

Ocean Adventure offers "swim with the whales" and dolphin shows, usually to groups of excursionists from Metro Manila.

The EEI and the PAWS filed criminal charges against the SBME board, composed of Americans Timothy Desmond, John Corcoran and Gail Laule, in 2001 for violation of Republic Act No. 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act, and Presidential Decree No. 1586, which mandates the Environmental Impact Statement System.

Exploratorium lacks ECC

SBME does not have an environmental compliance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and is not registered with the Bureau of Animal Industry, according to Concepcion.

"All animal facilities should register with the BAI and the government must have standards for animal use. But there is none yet for marine parks. They're just drafting it now, after years of operation of a marine park," Concepcion said.

Violation of the Animal Welfare Act carries a negligible fine of P5,000 or six months in jail.

The Philippines is among the countries that have denounced the practice of driving up the whales to the shore and capturing them for sale to amusement parks.

An untrained whale could fetch up to $5,000 and a trained marine mammal could go for around $10,000.

Earth Island Institute

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)

Department of Agriculture (DA)

Department of Health (DoH)

[theveed]

Im not an animal lover per se, but it's a real shame for those running such operations, they're no better than the circus, forcing wild animals to perform stupid tricks while confined in a space so many times smaller than they should. I mean, ocean vs a tank...

Dapat talaga pagbawal mga ganyan eh... if they want to educate people, then let the animals go and make documentaries and such.

I always wished seeing a "trainer" being eaten by an orca. I hate those guys.

[empy]

aw...the poor whales maybe it's time for "free willy 4"?

[odell]

kawawa naman mga whales.. sana wala na lang magtangkilik.. para pag bumagsak un ocean adventure.. papakawalan na lang nila un whales

[zero]

similar type of business din kya yang existing Subic Oceanpark Adventure dun sa on-going construction of Oceanpark project diyan sa likod ng Luneta Grandstand? Sa dumi ng Manila Bay, baka mas maraming mamatay na sea creatures sa new oceanpark na yan?

[theveed]

This is a bigger prob pa sa kuripot na country... I mean, you can just imagine how much food it takes to feed such huge animals... sigurado titipirin pa yan dito.

[nugundam93]

that's why i resisted all calls from my family and relatives to visit that place. if the consumers won't patronize the shop/service, then sooner or later, titigil yan. too bad another had to die