Resort World Sentosa to enhance dolphin care

Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) has announced plans to double the number of keepers to provide care for its dolphins at its soon to open Marine Life Park.

In a press briefing on the integrated resort's recruitment drive, RWS announced that it had already hired 18 dolphin keepers since last year, and has plans to employ 36.

Animal activists who object to the captivity of wild dolphins have been petitioning RWS for the release of the bottlenose dolphins back to their natural habitat off the Solomon Islands, near Papua New Guinea.

The 25 dolphins set to will populate the Marine Life Park are currently housed at the Ocean Adventure Park in Subic Bay in the Philippines. However, their situation has attracted controversy since two dolphins destined for RWS died of a water-borne bacterial infection last October.

RWS has declined to comment further on the controversial exhibit, but it had previously said it would be "gravely irresponsible" to release the dolphins into the wild after three years under human care.

RWS has said that the number of dolphin keepers will double when the Marine Life Park opens in the second half of next year. This will allow the keepers to fulfil their added responsibilities in a full-fledged park without compromising on the quality of care for the dolphins. Among its current keepers are marine mammal specialists who have worked at Sentosa's Underwater World and the Singapore Zoo.

The recruitment of more keepers is part of a drive to hire about 500 employees for the eight hectare Marine Life Park, which includes an oceanarium housing more than 100,000 fish and a theme park with water rides.

RWS' Senior Vice-President of Human Resources and Training, Seah-Khoo Ee Boon, said it is "optimistic" about meeting its labour needs with a priority to hire Singaporeans.

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