One of the dolphins bound for the Marine Life Park at Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa died on the flight from the Philippines on Thursday.

The male dolphin named Wen Wen, estimated to be ten years old, died less than an hour before the plane landed in Singapore, local broadcaster Channel NewsAsia reported.

There were 11 dolphins on the three-hour flight from the Philippines, where they were kept for training. Another 14 dolphins have already been transported earlier this week to the Marine Life Park, which has one of the world's largest oceanaria that is home to 100,000 marine animals.

The Marine Life Park said there were two marine mammal veterinarians and eight marine mammal specialists accompanying and monitoring the dolphins, who were given thorough medical examinations and were deemed healthy before the move.

Animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society said it was saddened by the loss, urging the casino resorts to rehabilitate and release the remaining dolphins back into Solomon Islands waters.

The bottlenose dolphins are expected to be on display next year, but they have been a source of controversy in recent months as animal welfare activists made several attempts to block the dolphins from being brought to Singapore. Endi

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)