ACRES, a WSPA member society based in Singapore, declared victory recently following an admission by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) that it had made a mistake in processing Underwater World's Singapore's (UWS) application to import six Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphins. Their mistake was in classifying all six of the dolphins as captive bred when, in fact, four of the six were captured from the wild. ACRES raised doubts about origins of these dolphins from the start, keeping up the pressure that finally resulted in the AVA's admission that an error had been made.

Underwater World Singapore claims to play a vital role in marine mammal education and yet they continue to assert that all of their dolphins were captive bred. The six dolphins at the center of this controversy were captured and imported from Thailand. A recent report from the World Conservation Union (IUCN) states that "the demand for live specimens in Thai oceanaria has recently led to the development of a directed fisheries there and that the Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphins are no longer present in the large parts of their former home range in inshore waters of Thailand."

The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) clearly states that "an export permit shall only be granted when the following conditions have been met: a) a Scientific Authority of the State of export has been advised that such export will not be detrimental to the survival of that species…." In light of the recently released IUCN report, the export of wild-caught dolphins from Thailand is clearly detrimental to the survival of this species.

ACRES is urging authorities in Singapore and Thailand to refuse to reissue permits for the wild-caught dolphins acquired by UWS and to insist that the dolphins be returned to Thailand for rehabilitation and release.

If you would like to learn more about ACRES "Suffering, not Smiling" dolphin campaign, please visit their website at: http://www.acres.org.sg.