In Asia this year, at least three environmental activists that we know of have lost their lives, and perhaps countless others that we may never get to hear about in mainstream media.  Dr Gerry Ortega was killed in January 2011 this year in the Philippines for anti-mining protests and campaigning for the Palawan community’s share in the Malampaya natural gas project. In Thailand, Thongnak Chewakchinda lost his life in July 2011 for his high-profile protests against the persistent problem of air pollution from dust and fumes from coal depots and separation factories.

Shehla Masood

When India’s attention was focused on the arrest of anti-corruption campaigner, Anna Hazare; a quiet and swift decimation of a heroic life was effected in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (Central India).  Shehla Masood, an wildlife conservationist, environmental campaigner and an RTI (Right to Information) activist was shot dead outside her home by an unidentified assailant on 16th August, 2011. She was leaving to attend a demonstration supporting Anna Hazare.  She had been raising a lot of questions about Rio Tinto’s mining activities, and was seeking to save the watershed of the Panna Tiger Reserve and the Shyamri River in Madhya Pradesh. 

We share here the statement made by Toxics Watch Alliance which will be submitted to the Indian central and state governments, relevant committees and agencies.

Please send an email to the signatories mentioned below the statement, and/or leave a comment here endorsing this.

And somewhere, somehow, we must all see a connection with tragic events like this to our own mindless consumption. As the Indian middle class becomes wealthier, consumption of gold and diamonds is ever on the rise. Do we ever question what the real and hidden costs to it are?

Joint Statement on Martyrdom of Shehla Masood (for your endorsement)

16 August, 2011

“I am proud to be an Indian. Happy Independence Day.”
Shehla Masood, 15 August, 2011

Gandhi “the purpose of civil resistance is provocation”. Anna has succeeded in provoking the Govt and the Opposition. Hope he wins us freedom from corruption. Meet at 2 pm Boat Club Bhopal”
Shehla Masood, 16 August, 2011 – Her last Facebook update a few minutes before her martyrdom

Shehla Masood, a Madhya Pradesh based civil rights and environmental rights activist was was shot dead by an unidentified person in front of her residence in Koh-e-Fiza locality in Bhopal around 11 AM on 16th August, 2011.

We the undersigned are aghast at the irony that tigers, tribals, trees and civil rights and environmental rights activists are being hunted and killed in the same manner.

We demand that the possible connection between her murder and her raising the issue of illegal Diamond mining project in Chhattarpur district, Madhya Pradesh by Rio Tinto, a transnational mining company headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange must be investigated along with other suspicions by a high level probe team. (Factsheet on Rio Tinto’s illegal mining activity given below). 

She was active to save the watershed of the Panna Tiger Reserve and the Shyamri River, one of the cleanest in the country from Rio Tinto’s mining activity along with other activists.

We suspect that the considered timing of her elimination during the ongoing anti-corruption campaign when she was on her way to support Anna Hazare’s fast is meant to overshadow the issue of illegal Diamond mining project in Chhattarpur district, Madhya Pradesh by Rio Tinto and the political Mafiosi.

The mining block is inside a forest which is the northernmost tip of the best corridor of teak forests south of the Gangetic plain. It is an established law that mining is non-forestry activity. There is an immediate need for a probe to determine who allowed the mining to take place in such an ecologically fragile area.

The Bunder mine project, near the city of Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh, about 500 kilometres south-east of Delhi, is likely to be one of the largest diamond reserves in the world. It is estimated that there is a ”inferred resource” of 27.4 million carats, a diamonds resource seven times richer than the Panna mine, country’s only working diamond mine.

A statement dated March 22, 2011 was laid in the Parliament (Lok Sabha) on “need to review the diamond mining project in district Chhattarpur, Madhya Pradesh posing serious threat to environment in the region”.

We have learnt from senior journalists that two Collectors have been transferred to facilitate the ongoing illegal mining and the fact that the new Collector has allowed mining which came to light when a PIL was filed stating that Rio Tinto has been carrying on exploitation of mineral resources in Chattarpur district violating the prescribed provisions.

Prior to the statement in the Lok Sabha, on March 10, 2011, the FOREST ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING of Ministry of Environment & Forests listed Agenda no. 6 on “ Prospecting of diamond at 143 additional locations in 2329.75 ha. forest land located in 18 compartments in Buxwaha Range in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh by M/s Rio Tinto Exploration India Private Limited. [File No. 8-49/2006-FC-(Vol.)]” to discuss it but did not do so stating, “Due to paucity of time the proposal could not be discussed during the meeting”.

We had written to the Union Environment Minister and Parliamentary Petitions Committee separately drawing its attention towards Madhya Pradesh High Court’s notices to the Centre and the state government on illegal mining of diamonds by international mining companies. The court had asked both the governments to reply in this matter within four weeks. Considering the act of illegal mining as a serious offence, a double bench of Chief Justice Sayed Rafat Alam and Justice Sushil Harkauli criticised the Forest Departments, Mining Secretaries of the state as well as the Centre and issued notices against them in addition to the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board and Chattarpur Collector.

We take cognisance of the fact that Corporate Watch, a London based group had chosen Rio Tinto to award it for its display of heinous, misguided, and altogether anti-social behaviour over the last ten years in 2010.

We take note of ‘Rio Tinto: the Tainted Titan,’ the Stakeholders Report, www.cfmeu.asn.au, 1997, which states “It’s (Rio Tinto’s) activities in some of the wildest and the most pristine places in the world and their impact on the environment of those places, the people who live there, the life-style of the indigenous people and also its corporate culture, are subjects of real concern.”

We submit that Rio Tinto project is threatening unique forest resources in the area affected by the mine in Chhattarpur, MP. In this context, it may be noted that Roger Moody, a veteran journalist in his book Plunder, describes Rio Tinto’s activities as ranging from “brow-beating opponents, leaning on governments and price-fixing, to violating international law, union-busting and management of one of the world’s biggest commodity cartels”. His book outlines numerous examples of its environmental irresponsibility.

It is germane to recollect what Sir Roderick Carnegie, as Chairman Rio Tinto-Zinc (RTZ) had said at its 1984 shareholders’ meeting: “The right to land depends on the ability to defend it”.

We salute the struggle and martyrdom of Shehla Masood who defended our forests, rivers, land and wildlife in the face of unscrupulous corporate assault in nexus with ruling political regimes.

Shehla Masood used to conclude her messages with a proud “Roarrrrr” that cannot be silenced by the bullets of her assailants.

Signatories

Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), New Delhi (krishna2777@gmail.com)

Prakash K Ray, Jawaharlal Nehru University Researchers Association (JNURA), New Delhi (pkray11@gmail.com)

Fact sheet on Rio Tinto, Chhattarpur, Madhya Pradesh

May, 2004: ACC Rio Tinto of Australia, De Beers of South Africa, BHP Minerals of Canada and the National Mineral Development Corporation are set to start survey and exploration of diamond mines in the Panna, Chhattarpur, Tikamgarh, Sagar, Angor and Majhgawan areas of the state. ACC Rio Tinto has been issued four reconnaissance permits for 10,000 sq km area in the Panna Damoh and Chhatarpur districts.

2004: Rio Tinto discovered a significant diamond deposit in Chhattarpur district of Madhya Pradesh.

2006: Rio Tinto was given the prospecting licence

17 January 2007: Bunder Project is a proposed new diamond mine , located at Janpad Panchayat Buxwaha, Tehsil Buxwaha, District, Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh. If the project is approved and proves viable, it could be the “first significant world class diamond mine in India”, according to the Rio Tinto Group, who have proposed the mine. The foundation of the plant was inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan on 17 January 2007. Government accorded pollution clearance certificate by its letter no. 213/EPCO/SEIAA/08 dated 22.11.08 for DMS plant.

July 2007: Australian multinational mining company, Rio Tinto has applied for prospecting license for locating diamond area in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna and Chhatarpur districts. Diamond Officer J S Solanki said Rio Tinto has discovered a ‘Kimerlite Pipe Line’ at Bakswaha in Chhatarpur and Amjhiria and Rampur in Panna district. The company has applied for prospecting license. After receiving no objection certificate (NOC) from the forest department, the application would be forwarded to the state government. The company would begin its work as soon as it receives permission from the government. National Mines Development Corporation (NDMC) has also started surveying the area in view of new possibilities.

23 June 2008: Rio Tinto announced on 23rd June that it had filed for a mining lease to proceed with the project. They are also waiting permission from the pollution control board for a Dense Media Separation Plant which would allow samples taken from the mine to be processed on location.

December 2008: Rio Tinto has discovered diamond deposit in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Rio Tinto Diamond – one of the largest producers of rough diamond – has sought the mining lease from state government for running its commercial business in Chhatarpur, he added. Chhatarpur is the second district after Panna in the state where diamond deposit was discovered. They were expecting 30 million carats of diamond deposit in Chhatarpur and the state government is hopeful of getting Rs 100 crore royalty from this project’s commercial production. Rio Tinto would begin mining diamonds using latest technology. Rio Tinto has put in around USD 25 million in exploring and discovering the diamond deposit. The firm was exploring diamond reserve for well over four years and eventually discovered it some months ago. Rio Tinto is the first in the last five years which has got prospecting license for diamond exploration in India.

August 2009: Virbhadra Singh, India’s Steel Minister said that National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) is exploring for diamond reserves in the Chattarpur District. “We have requested the Madhya Pradesh government to allow NMDC to explore more areas adjoining the Panna mines so that the area could emerge as a diamond hub. Moreover, Chattarpur district is also rich in diamond reserves,” he said. Maintaining that this would attract investments in diamond cutting and polishing

2010: The presence of diamond deposits has been detected in Chhattarpur district of Madhya Pradesh during an aerial survey by an Australian company. “The process for granting permission for a land survey to confirm the presence of diamonds is underway”. Diamonds were earlier found in Panna district, which is close to Chhattarpur. Australia’s Rio Tinto Exploration Company had been carrying out aerial surveys for diamonds over the past three years in the northeastern part of the state. The central government had given permission to the Australian firm for such surveys.

31st August, 2010: The second largest mining company of the world Rio Tinto has began production of diamonds from its Bunder Diamond project at Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh. “Rio Tinto has commenced production and bulk sampling at Mumbai diamond auctions,” said SK Mishra, MP Mining and Mineral Secretary. The company has so far invested about Rs 250 crore and mining lease had been offered on 475 hectares. Rio Tinto was given prospecting licence for the project in 2006. The company will gradually scale up investment and will cover 5,000 hectares over a period and the investment is expected to touch Rs 2,500 crore. Madhya Pradesh’s Additional Chief Secretary (Commerce, Industry and Employment), Satya Prakash said, the company will invest Rs 370 crore over the next three years. The state government has also earmarked 280 acres near Indore for a diamond park for value addition like cutting, polishing and jewellery. MP is the only diamond producing state with prospect of 1200 thousand carats of diamond reserve.

November 2010: Environmentalists and conservationists raise serious objections about the Madhya Pradesh government giving full support to global diamond giant Rio Tinto’s Indian subsidiary planning commercial mining of diamonds in an eco-sensitive zone close to the Panna tiger reserve. Tiger expert Valmik Thapar, asked about Rio Tinto’s Bunder diamond project in Chhatarpur district, a few kilometers from the Panna reserve’s western border, said: “It’s an example of a completely dysfunctional system of government from top to bottom.” He said that if Panna were to recover (the loss of all its tigers), it would need at least another 10 years of complete protection of surrounding forests and (their) connecting corridors. Asked about Rio Tinto’s plan to start commercial diamond mining in an area which is also the watershed for the Panna reserve and the Shyamri river, considered one of the cleanest in the country, Thapar said the water regime was also essential for life and no water resource should be negated by those bent on commercial exploitation of mineral resources in forest areas. Almost 99 per cent of the Bunder diamondiferous block is inside a forest which is the northernmost tip of the best corridor of teak forests south of the Gangetic plain. “It is an established law that mining is non-forestry activity — if pitting is involved, prospecting is also mining activity,” a senior state forest officer said, adding that a probe was needed to determine on what grounds clearance to prospect in this area was given in the first place.

March 10, 2011: PROCCEDINGS OF THE FOREST ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING of Ministry of Environment & Forests refer to Agenda no. 6 on “ Prospecting of diamond at 143 additional locations in 2329.75 ha. forest land located in 18 compartments in Buxwaha Range in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh by M/s Rio Tinto Exploration India Private Limited. [File No. 8-49/2006-FC-(Vol.)]” It states, “Due to paucity of time the proposal could not be discussed during the meeting”.
March 22, 2011: Jeetendra Singh Bundela, MP from Khajuraho laid a statement in Lok Sabha on “need to review the diamond mining project in district Chhattarpur, Madhya Pradesh posing serious threat to environment in the region.”

April 2011: Rio Tinto applied for a mining licence for what could be the largest diamond mine in India. The global mining giant is carrying out pre-feasibility exploration at the Bunder Mine project near Chhattarpur in Madhya Pradesh. The mine can have reserves of 27.4 million carats, making it the largest diamond find in the last 10 years in the world. The Bunder mine is likely to hold resources seven times more than Panna, the only operating diamond mine in the country. It is estimated that the grade of the Bunder reserves is 0.7 carats per tonne. Diamond traders in Delhi estimated the value of the roughs at $4-5 billion.

The grant of the licence to Rio may get delayed as environment activists have filed a case against the firm in Madhya Pradesh High Court. The company claims that it is fully compliant with all laws, including environmental norms. The domestic diamond processing industry generates revenues of more than Rs 70,000 crore annually but is facing a shortage of 30 per cent in its requirement of roughs. Rio, a Reliance Industries’ subsidiary has been prospecting for diamond in the country. The Reliance subsidiary holds a prospecting licence for about 1800 sq km spread over Rewa, Siddhi and Satna in Madhya Pradesh.

9th April, 2011: Madhya Pradesh High Court issued notices to the Centre and the state government on illegal mining of diamonds by international mining companies. The court has asked both the governments to reply in this matter within four weeks. Considering the act of illegal mining as a serious offence, a double bench of Chief Justice Sayed Rafat Alam and Justice Sushil Harkauli rapped the Forest Departments, Mining Secretaries of the state as well as the Centre and issued notices against them in addition to the MP Pollution Control Board and Chattarpur Collector. The issue of illegal diamond mining came to light when a PIL was filed by a social activist. The PIL stated that an Australian mining company, Rio Tinto, has been carrying on exploitation of mineral resources in Chattarpur district violating the prescribed provisions. The PIL said that under Section 2 of the Forest Preservation Act, permission from the Central government is required to carry on mining trade in any part of India. Other than this, a no objection certificate (NOC) from Pollution Control Board is mandatory. The counsel of the petitioner, Vipin Yadav, told the court that the Collector of Chattarpur had written a letter to the Revenue Department in this context, but no action was taken. Yadav added, “This proves that the officials of Forest and Revenue departments are working hand-in-hand and foreign companies are making profit at the cost of our country’s natural resources.”

25th July, 2011: A letter on Illegal Diamond mining project in district Chhattarpur, MP was submitted to the Parliamentary Petitions Committee by ToxicsWatch Alliance.
Subsequent to this a letter was sent to Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan by Shehla Masood on 25 July, 2011. She had also filed Right to Information application in this regard.

16 August, 2011: Shehla Masood killed in Bhopal

Further links you may be interested in:

Latest news on Shehla Masood on RTI Happenings Website.

Facebook Event : Silent Support to Shehla Masood, Sunday August 21 2011

 An interview on OUTLOOK India a month before her death:

Long pushing for protection of whistle-blowers, Shehla Masood might have made her point most forcefully in death. She had long learned to live with threats to her life, as she revealed in the last interview before she died. Excerpts:

How difficult is it for a whistle-blower to function?

I was threatened by local MLA Vishwas Sarang because I exposed corruption relating to forest produce. He sent me a court notice just to put me under pressure. I exposed Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s expenditure on household entertainment which ran into lakhs every month. The money was spent on chaat, sweets, lunches, bouquets, telephone bills and mobile bills. I was threatened by principal information officer (general administrative department) Aruna Gupta. She wrote a letter to the information commissioner saying I had stolen some records and lodged an FIR against me. It was a blatant lie because when she was asked to furnish details of the records stolen from her office, she failed to give anything. She was served with a showcause notice. I was also threatened by the protocol officer of the CM’s house, Sanjay Chauhan, because I exposed how lakhs were spent on sitting judges of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The money was spent on their stay in luxury hotels and travel. I also drew attention towards the 12 serving judges who were involved in corruption. These judges came to the wedding of the son of principal secretary (law) in December 2010 and the expenses were borne by the state government. I draw strength from these threats. But at the same time, I realise that the government is not serious in protecting whistle-blowers. I believe this is because of political pressure. There is no political will to fight corruption. And I am sorry to say that there is very little unity among the activists as they also have vested interests.

How does one work in this situation?

See, I am being constantly threatened. I was threatened by Pawan Shrivastava (currently IG, police training institute, Indore) in 2008. He is thoroughly corrupt. His proximity with politicians allows him to commit deeds which are immoral and against the law. He is a perpetual law offender. He is close to a few RSS leaders and to the vice-president of BJP’s Madhya Pradesh unit, Anil Dave. I filed an RTI application in 2008 to gather information on the tender process adopted by the cultural department. The day I filed it, Pawan Srivastava called me on my mobile and not only threatened me with dire consequences but also abused me. I have recorded part of his conversation which corroborates my claim. However, that recording and complaints to senior police officers and to Union home minister P. Chidambaram have hardly helped me. I fear for my life. But I will continue working and carry on.

What issues are you fighting for?

I’m fighting for good governance, transparency, police reforms and environmental issues like tiger conservation. I’ve been using the RTI Act since 2005 as a tool to collect evidence. It is the nexus between politicians and babus which is slowly poisoning our country. The fight is between the powerful and weak and I represent the weakest and the poorest of society.

 

Share/Save

Please read the original article here. The official reply given by Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) to emails and letters from the public is published in bold below. ACRES have given their counterarguments in italics to the statements made by RWS.  Please continue to support the campaign by sharing this message, joining the Facebook page, and by writing to RWS

From ACRES:

Those of you who have written to RWS would have received their standard reply. Please find attached below our response to RWS’ standard reply. RWS’ statements are in bold.

Greetings from Resorts World™ Sentosa.

We note your feedback. There will also be differing views on dolphins in facilities, but please let us explain why we believe that our animals have an important role to play and that they will have a good quality of life in our facility.

ACRES is not against the keeping of animals in captivity in-principle, but we must focus on keeping animals that can cope with captivity. ACRES and the over 7,400 people who have joined us (in less than a fortnight) in this campaign are not campaigning for the closure of the Marine Life Park.

We agree that zoos have an important role to play but, again, we are calling for RWS to focus on housing species which can cope with captivity and to also run an attraction that can indeed play a proper role in education and in-situ conservation.

Dolphins (and whales) are the only grouping of animals which governments have banned zoos from keeping in captivity. Progressive countries such as Chile and Costa Rica have banned the capture and display of dolphins, recognising that these animals belong in the vast open oceans.

We should also note and learn from other country’s experiences. Mexican Senator Jorge Legorreta Ordorica (Chairman, Committee of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries) was so dismayed at the plans of RWS that he wrote to Singapore’s National Development Minister about it. Senator Jorge wrote that Mexico’s international reputation was dented as a result of its importing 28 Solomon Islands dolphins in 2003. At least 12 of the dolphins have since died.

“Mexico’s experience with this single import led to our government imposing an outright ban on importation and exportation of live cetaceans for entertainment purposes and this ban is still in place,” the Mexican Senator said. He urged Singapore to consider Mexico’s experience and ‘the disturbing mortality’ of the animals when evaluating applications for the permits to import such dolphins.

Over 150 millions of Guests pass through aquaria and zoo facilities in the United States alone each year. Well run facilities providing strong conservation takeaways have inspired many to take on the championing of marine mammal conservation. Reports and testimonials have shown that some have even gone on to illustrious careers in animal care and veterinary science. Television documentaries play a great role in advancing the conservation cause, but nothing beats getting up close with the animals, learning about their behavior, care and need for conservation of their species first-hand from their caregivers. The Marine Life Park will strive to continue with this conservation mission.

Since RWS is using the United States as an example, should it not also follow the progressive example set by facilities in the United States with regard to dolphin captures? In the late 1980s, facilities in the United States implemented a voluntary moratorium on collection of bottlenose dolphins from the wild, and this remains in place.

As mentioned above, we do agree that zoos have an important educational role to play, but they must walk the talk and must focus on ethical practices- both in terms of animal care and animal acquisition.

In addition, the reality is: What can RWS really teach its visitors about dolphin protection? Would it not be an irony and contradiction for RWS to ask their visitors to protect dolphins when they themselves obtained 27 individual dolphins from the wild and two have now died?

Bottlenose dolphins can thrive in facilities. It has been documented that dolphins in marine parks have lived well over 40 years old, twice the average life span of dolphins in the wild. Life in the wild is not as carefree as you think. Dolphins fight for survival from predators, fishing boats, and pollution. Dolphins have also been bred successfully in facilities, an important measure of successful adaption of dolphins to human care. Today, many dolphins have been bred in facilities, providing us valuable insights and knowledge into the propagation of this species.

If the above was true, why didn’t RWS acquire their dolphins from captive sources instead of buying dolphins caught from the wild?

It is true that wild dolphins do not enjoy a carefree life, but they do enjoy freedom and the choice of where to go, what to eat (live fish), who to socialise with and they will not be forced to perform behaviours they don’t want to do.

If dolphins can thrive in captivity, why then did two of RWS wild-caught dolphins die? The explanation should not just be that dolphins die in the wild as well.

RWS has stated that they have “a world-class team of experienced professionals and animal experts” and it is their “mission to provide our animals with top-class care, and to treat them with respect.” RWS has also stated that “its dolphin enclosure will ‘far exceed’ internationally recognised minimum space requirements for the animals” and that “care and well-being of the dolphins are of paramount importance”. RWS further mentioned that bottlenose dolphins “are very adaptable to living in controlled environments”.

ACRES has consistently reminded RWS of the difficulty in keeping dolphins in captivity. Despite our appeal, RWS went ahead and purchased wild-caught dolphins. Two of the dolphins (in Langkawi), of the species which RWS had stated is “very adaptable to living in controlled environments”, have now died.

Should we still trust RWS now that we know that RWS housed the dolphins in appalling conditions in Langkawi during training? The dolphin enclosures failed to meet the European Association for Aquatic Mammals Standards for Establishments Housing Bottlenose Dolphins.

The enclosures failed in terms of: Not meeting minimum pool dimensions, poor maintenance, failure to provide shelter, excessive noise, poor water quality, not having sufficient/adhered to emergency procedures and not having a sufficient/adhered to programme of measures for illness prevention and control.

Besides the small size of the enclosures, the location of the enclosures was a major concern. The location was completely unsuitable for dolphins due to the high boat traffic (from a jetty and a private marina).

We also like to share that Marine parks provide an important source of funding and expertise for marine mammal science. Today, marine parks and aquaria around the world have strong and frequent links to exchange scientific knowledge and expertise. Many of these parks have established laboratories, veterinary care and husbandry practices. These parks have also conducted many research projects. Marine parks are able to provide long-term, structured and committed efforts to advancing marine mammal science. The Marine Life Park is committed to these research programmes, which range from field research, water quality studies to marine mammal reproduction and physiology, as well as rescue rehabilitation.

Marine parks are indeed an important source of funding and RWS should focus on funding in-situ conservation work (in the wild) instead of contributing to one of the threats dolphins face in the wild. (According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a leading authority on the environment and sustainable development, the threats facing the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins include live capture for oceanariums.)

Furthermore, catching more dolphins might drive species such as the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin towards extinction. IUCN states that “their preference (Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins) as a captive display species makes them vulnerable to depletion from such catches.”

If RWS is truly committed to marine conservation, should it not focus on protecting wild dolphins?

We could go on and on about why we believe our animals have a special role in the area of conservation. We are 100-percent committed to provide them the best care. We are starting exciting educational and conservation projects, and will definitely be sharing information on those projects in the coming months.

Thank you for taking the time in writing to us.

Warmest Regards,
SaravananSinniah
Guest Correspondence Team
Resorts World™ Sentosa

ACRES would welcome more reassuring and concrete explanations from RWS to justify why they are not responding to the public’s call for them to release the wild-caught dolphins.

To get involved:

• Visit the campaign website at www.saddestdolphins.com
• Support the campaign on Facebook
• Share the original campaign song with your friends
• Write a message or shoot a video about what you think of RWS’s dolphin programme and send it to ACRES
• Write directly to RWS

Further links you may be interested in:

Campaign video for you to share:

Video link here

Letter from Richard O’ Barry to Resorts World Sentosa on dolphins

The Straits Times: Free the Dolphins (Ric O Barry’s plea – full feature on The Sunday Times)

Share/Save

By Howard Lee

At the turn of this year, I interviewed Louis Ng, the Executive Director of the Animals Concerns and Research & Education Society (ACRES), and one of the questions was what ACRES plan to do for the coming year. Ng affirmed ACRES’s commitment to campaign for the release of the dolphins headed for Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) as part of its interactive dolphin spa programme.

On 27 May 2011, ACRES delivered on that promise with the launch of the ”Save the World’s Saddest Dolphins” campaign, which aims to create awareness about the plight of the dolphins through music videos, hence urging people to take action through their own video petitions.

Perhaps they might not really be the saddest dolphins in the world to date, but you can’t really doubt the ingenuity of the campaign in exploiting social media. You definitely will not doubt the tenacity of ACRES.

The campaign pivoted on the release of an undercover video of the remaining 25 dolphins (two have died in captivity) in Ocean Adventure marine park in Subic Bay, the Philippines. The filming was not without its challenges. “The main obstacle was getting caught doing it undercover but we managed to view the dolphins and successfully completed the investigations,” said Ng.

Video link here

The campaign goes beyond highlighting the plight of the dolphins in captivity, being trained and prepped for their eventual life at RWS. ACRES’s efforts are backed by a detailed report that outlines the errors and pitfalls of keeping wide-ranging wild animals in captivity, including the dangers associated with transmitting diseases to humans. It is not just an animal rights and environmental issue.

We must remember that these dolphins, including the two dolphins who died, are sentient individuals who only about a year ago swam freely in the vast open oceans. We need to also consider the impact of taking twenty-five dolphins from the wild in the Solomon Islands, on the survival of this species in Solomon Islands. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a leading authority on the environment and sustainable development and the largest global environmental network, had advised against the export of dolphins from Solomon Islands and urged countries to not allow the importation of any dolphins from the Solomon Islands

- Louis Ng (From his previous interview with The Online Citizen)

The main campaign music video features children and members of the public urging RWS to free the dolphins. Local and foreign bands have produced different covers of the campaign song. “Using social media and by approaching this issue more creatively, we will be able to engage the public more effectively and reach out to a wider audience,” said Ng.

“ACRES hope that members of the public will join ACRES in our mission to end this injustice. They may not love animals but they should feel a sense of injustice happening at our doorstep. The dolphins have endured being removed from their homes in the Solomon Islands and stressful transportation. Some of the dolphins watched their family members die, were subjected to living in small, rusty enclosures and endured a year of training sessions. The only thing in store for all of them now is the final stressful transportation to Singapore to entertain RWS guests.”

AsiaOne reported that “RWS, which runs Singapore’s first casino as well as the adjacent Universal Studios theme park, had no immediate reaction, saying it was studying the campaign’s allegations in detail.”

“ACRES hopes that RWS makes a moral decision and let the dolphins go. They believe strongly in CSR (corporate social responsibility) and marine protection and should walk the talk. They should note that even Chris Porter, who sold the wild-caught dolphins to RWS, called for RWS to ‘review its motivation for using these animals as a tourist draw’. He was concerned that ‘RWS is using the animals primarily to make money while telling the public that its aim is to educate the public on marine conservation.’”

But the message is meant not just for RWS, but also for our government, as our representative in the global community. Ng hopes that “the Singapore government will follow the progressive example set by other countries (such as Chile and Costa Rica) and ban the capture and display of dolphins, recognising that these animals belong in the vast open oceans.”

“They should also heed the advice given by Mexican Senator Jorge Legorreta Ordorica (Chairman, Committee of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries) who urged Singapore to consider Mexico’s experience and ‘the disturbing mortality’ of the animals when evaluating applications for the permits to import such dolphins,” Ng says.

With an extensive online campaign, “Save the World’s Saddest Dolphins” does have its non-cyberspace initiatives, as ACRES will also be embarking on a series of roadshows. The first roadshow was held at Far East Plaza (Level 2 Concourse) from 27 to 29 May 2011 at Far East Plaza, Level 2 Concourse.

To get involved:

• Visit the campaign website at www.saddestdolphins.com
• Support the campaign on Facebook
• Share the original campaign song with your friends
• Write a message or shoot a video about what you think of RWS’s dolphin programme and send it to ACRES
• Write directly to RWS

Video link here

About the Writer:

Howard Lee is a corporate communication professional and volunteers with a local marine conservation group. He is a freelance writer with The Online Citizen where this article first appeared.

Further links you may be interested in:

The Sunday Times: Scientists say dolphins should be treated as ‘non-human persons’

Save the Solomon Dolphins.org

Letter in 2008 to Mah Bow Tan, ex-Minister for National Development, Singapore from Mexican Senator Jorge Legorreta Ordorica (Chairman, Committee of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries) “urging you to consider our experiences and the disturbing mortality suffered by these animals when evaluating permits for live dolphin imports from Solomon Islands.”

Letter from Richard O’ Barry to Resorts World Sentosa on dolphins

The Straits Times: Free the Dolphins (Ric O Barry’s plea – full feature on The Sunday Times)

Update: Geordie Wilks from The Good Paper has given an excellent summary on the “Save the Dolphins” concert held on August 28th, 2011 at Speakers’ Corner, Singapore

Share/Save

This is a full version of the article sent to the Straits Times Forum page.

The coming of Chinese New Year brings added stress to people concerned with marine conservation.
 

As many might know, Asian fleets would go out to sea and have the sharks finned alive, then thrown back into the ocean to bleed to death. The dying sharks could sit on the seabed for days, sometimes up to several weeks before they finally die.
 

Long-lining, a fishing method often used to capture sharks, uses hundreds to thousands of baited hooks attached to each fishing line going up to 50 miles (80 KM) into the sea. This results in unwanted “by-catches”, often entangling and killing other marine creatures including dolphins, seals, whales, turtles, other fishes.
 

For every 10 pounds of fish killed, approximately 100 pounds of marine life were thrown away. In addition, edible fins only make up approximately 2% of a shark’s total weight.

Incredulous wastage of lives aside, we are neglecting the fact that several species of sharks are endangered, and several species have been classified as critically endangered and deserve the same conservation status as the Giant Pandas. We are taking the life of 1 shark, possibly endangered, plus all others that were killed “by accident”, for the sake of this 2%, and it’s ironic that there’s no strong governance in place and we are free to trade their fins.

Shark fin trading is also no longer just about protecting sharks from potential extinction – its about protecting our future generations.

We need to understand that sharks being apex predators of the ocean, have the power to collapse the entire ocean’s ecosystem with their decline. Sharks control the population of fishes that feeds on phytoplankton, which is responsible for taking in carbon dioxide (the culprit for global warming) and turning them into oxygen in the ocean. With the decline of sharks population, we can expect a sharp, steady decline in phytoplankton, hence affecting oxygen levels in the ocean.

The killing of sharks at the current merciless rates will greatly impact the entire ocean’s oxygen supply and eco-system. We are killing sharks at a rate of approximately 100 MILLION sharks a year. This figure excludes unreported figures through illegal fishing.

We rely on the ocean for food and we are causing damage that is serious enough to destroy our major food source – the lobsters, tuna, snappers, etc fishes from the ocean that we have on our plates today, may no longer be available in generations to come if the entire ocean dies from the lack of oxygen.

Lets also not forget the fact that the Earth is made up of 70% water, and that water cycle is such that water from the sea will evaporate and form part of the air that we breathe. Oxygen on land is very much dependent on oxygen in the ocean, and by neglecting this fact, or by choosing to remain insistently nonchalant, we are bringing death to the Earth.

Reports by the United States Food and Drugs Administration also shows that the mercury levels in sharks is one of the highest amongst other marine fishes, at 0.988 PPM (mercury concentration).

This means that Sharks has mercury concentration that’s 70 times higher than salmon, sardines, or oysters (See Reference). Pregnant women, young children, and nursing mothers are strongly advised against consumption.

While lots of Singaporeans would lament that this is a tradition that’s hard to change, its time to sit down and start weighing our pros and cons. Let’s also not forget that headhunting and feet-binding were traditions too that have been discontinued as we became more aware of the consequences. Yet for years, we have strongly fended the tradition of shark fin consumption, despite warnings from conservationists, scientists & marine biologist around the world.

We’ve killed so many sharks that many species have fallen to between 1% – 10% of their original population, just 15-20 years ago. Sharks are slow to mature, taking between 7-25 years to reach sexual maturity, and they do not reproduce in schools – most are only able to produce 1-2 pups per year.

Singapore is the world’s 3rd largest consumer of shark’s fins. This means that we have control over the situation, we have the option of saying no, and we have the ability of influencing and greatly reducing the demand for shark fin.

There are alternatives to shark’s fins that we can consider. Shark’s fin is not a staple to our diet and it definitely is not a tradition worth keeping.

Think twice before you order the fins this Chinese Year. Ignorance is definitely not bliss.

Jennifer Lee

You may email her for enquiries. Also check out Project: FIN on Facebook.

Photos provided with permission of Marine Photobank . Photo credits in order:

1) Wolcott Henry/Marine Photobank
2) David Jacobsen-Fried/Marine Photobank
3) Jack Ross/Marine Photobank
4) Nancy Boucha, www.scubasystems.org 2005/Marine Photobank

Other articles you may be interested in :

Gong Xi Fa Cai: Celebrate a Green Chinese New Year!

Share/Save

Chimps and we are alike
Jane greeted us with her inimitable “hello” in chimp tongue, an “ooh-ooh-ooh” note in a crescendo-like fashion. Her research at Gombe National Park in Tanzania, dating back to 1960, is undoubtedly the longest unbroken study of any wild animal. Though we belong to the great ape family of orangutans and gorillas, genetically we have more in common with the chimpanzee, with only over 1% difference in the DNA, which is why chimps are used in medical research.

The similarity extends to our immune systems, common anatomical structure of our brains, social behaviour – especially the kind of close bonding that we develop between mother and child, and between siblings, and sophisticated co-operation in hunting and sharing the kill. Chimps make and use tools- a skill that before Jane had made her discoveries known to the world, supposedly made us “superior” to animals. Animals have more complex brains than we can comprehend, and as we learn more and more about them, the line between us humans and animals gets “blurry” all the time.

What makes us different?
Humans are obviously different as our intellect, amongst all species has grown in an explosive way. We have a sophisticated language that helps us describe events and places which we are not physically present in. We have an oral history. We can discuss the past. We can discuss the future, and make amazing decisions and find solutions to problems in complex ways.

However, we are also destroying the only home we have, our planet. We are busy creating problems, destroying land, polluting our rivers, cutting down our forests, and pumping carbon dioxide into the air. Jane sees the air of pessimism amongst people all over the world, particularly biologists who can see the impact of environmental destruction everyday in their line of work. But we can take a step at a time, make choices about what we buy and wear and eat, how we go from A to B. We can become aware of how our choices affect the environment and animal welfare.  Billions of small steps can lead to big changes.

We can’t give up hope, because if we did, we would stop even trying to find solutions.

TACARE- The Tanganyika Catchment Reforestation and Education Project

In 1991, when Jane flew over the 30 square mile Gombe National Park, home to the now world famous chimpanzees that she has been studying for decades, she was shocked to see the extent of deforestation on the fringes of the forest. The soil fertility was down due to overfarming, and people were suffering due to overpopulation and lack of food.

The question that came to Jane’s mind was, “How can we try to save chimps when people are struggling to survive?”

The starting point was to do it the African way : sitting down and talking to the elders of 24 villages surrounding Gombe, and asking them how they would address the problems, and how they could improve the situation. What evolved was TACARE, a holistic way to reforest the slopes surrounding Gombe and sustainably develop the community, agriculture, health, water, and the use of natural resources.

That meant replanting trees and not hacking at the stumps. Woodlots were made to grow in the centre of villages, so that people would not need to cut down trees from the slopes. Each of the villages was connected by trees, so a contiguous corridor of greenery would give better hope for chimps to survive. Farmlands were reclaimed, drawing fresh water from wells. Microcredit programmes were started, specially targeting women and given them opportunities to create livelihoods for themselves. Scholarships were given to girls, because their education meant smaller family sizes. Family planning education was also imparted with information on HIV Aids. Fair trade prices were obtained for farmers who grew coffee on the slopes, so they earned a better income on their produce.

Why Jane Goodall has hope for humanity?   Why doesn’t Jane give way to pessimism?
   
• Our human brain  Humans are ingeniously capable of finding solutions to problems. Jane spoke about  Don Merton and his team’s never say die approach in reviving the population of Black Robins in New Zealand. The 27 birds left were taken to an island for the species to regenerate. To their dismay, only 5 survived. Through clever management of breeding and nesting techniques, they revived the population and Black Robins now number about 634.

• Resilience of Nature  Examples abound where devasted ecosystems have been regenerated.  TACARE is one such project. River Thames in London was once a polluted sewer, but now is cleaner with the fish back. Near extinct species have been brought back from the brink in many cases the world over.

• The energy, enthusiasm and courage of young people empowered to take action  Nothing demonstrates this better than the Roots & Shoots organisations started by the Jane Goodall foundation. Imagine a little seed with a little white root, with a life force so great that it can push aside boulders and break open brick walls to form a tree. Similarly, tens of thousands of young people who are part of this movement spread over 111 countries, are taking initiative to solve local problems involving human communities, animals or the environment. Such a force can break through these brick walls of problems inflicted on our earth.

• The indomitable human spirit  Carlos Magdalena, is a fine example. The energetic Spanish botanist works tirelessly on reviving near extinct species of plants and trees from Mauritius, in one case using merely 2-3 live cells in near dead seeds.  In this context, Jane mentioned the important role horticulturists and Botanical Gardens play in gathering seeds before it’s too late.  The Millennium Seed Bank at the Royal Kew Gardens is an important project to preserve seeds and biodiversity.

<Photo 2> Jane concluded her talk with the incident that happened in a North American zoo, where Jo-Jo the chimp nearly drowned in the water by the edge of the enclosure. Rick who happened to be visiting the zoo with his family saw this, and did the dangerous but heroic act of jumping in and pulling Jo-Jo out to safety before scurrying back over the railings. When asked why he did it, Rick said, ‘Well, you see, I happened to look into his eyes and it was like looking into the eyes of a man, and the message was  ‘‘won’t anybody help me?’

In Jane’s own words which I’m quoting from an interview she had given to CNN, “That’s the message I’ve seen in the eyes of the little orphans tied up in the market place, it’s the look that I’ve seen in the five-foot by five-foot medical lab research prisons, it’s the look I’ve seen from under the frills of the cruelly-trained entertainment chimps, it’s the look I’ve seen in the eyes of chained elephants, dogs thrown in the street, beaten horses. But it’s the look I’ve seen too in the eyes of little children who’ve seen their parents killed in the ethnic violence in Africa. And I’ve seen it in the eyes of those in the refugee camps and in the eyes of street children with no homes and in the eyes of kids caught up in inner-city violence with nowhere to turn.

And if you see that look and you feel it in your heart, you have to jump in and try to help. I think this is my greatest reason for hope.

Wherever I’ve seen problems, I’ve seen a person or a group of passionate and dedicated people who are doing their best to sort that problem out, to restore social justice, to help the environment, to help animals”

During the Q & A, I had the opportunity to let Jane know how much I was inspired by the book that she has co-authored with Mark Bekoff,  “The Ten Trusts” . My question to her was whether it was necessary for animals to be used in medical research and education.

Jane replied that the human brain is ingenious enough to find ways to do things, including medical research without the use of animals and hopes for this to happen. Animals feel pain just like humans do. She added that industrial farming also inflicts a lot of cruelty on animals, apart from causing methane emissions which are responsible for global warming. We need to treat animals in an ethical and humane way.

Having received Jane Goodall’s message of inspiration during her visit to Singapore, and throughout her worldwide travels, “We must not despair, but live with hope for the future,”  I’d like to say, Thank you, Jane.  Thank you!

Share/Save