7/27/2019 Concerns about Manila Ocean Park's Swim With Sharks and Rays Program

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October 2, 2013

Dear Ms. Cortes,

We are writing to express our concerns about Manila Ocean Parks new

programs involving sharks and rays, specifically the Shark & Rays Full BodyEncounter, Sharks & Rays Half Body Encounter, and Sharks & Rays Intimate.

The program claims to educate people on sharks and rays. The blogger Clarissof http://clumsyclariss.blogspot.com wrote that the sharks were bull sharks, when

they are in fact nurse sharks. It would be very surprising if Manila Ocean Parkencouraged people to dive with bull sharks, one of the most aggressive sharkspecies. Clariss also posted a photo of her stepping on a nurse shark. Sharksare not surfboards, Ms. Cortes. Sharks will be put under a lot of stress if ManilaOcean Park continues to allow visitors to step on these animals everyday, from

9AM-5PM. Moreover, the blogger also wrote that she and the rest of the bloggerswere taught how to hold stingrays.

While only about 30 out of the 275 species of sharks have been reported to everattack a human, it is worth noting that sharks are predators and could be capableof inflicting wounds and injuries if provoked. Sharks must be treated with respectand care at all times. Stingrays must also be left untouched, for they use their tailspines for defense. Rays have an exceptional array of senses that allow them toperceive potential threats, even if those threats are at a considerable distance.

7/27/2019 Concerns about Manila Ocean Park's Swim With Sharks and Rays Program

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If this is Manila Ocean Parks version of education, then it is currently a form of

miseducation, and a risky one at that.

The SHARKS & RAYS INTIMATE program claims to be a specialized CSR

program focusing on sharks and rays encounter by persons with disabilities andspecial needs. Another similar swim-with program is the swim with dolphins(a.k.a. dolphin-assisted therapy or DAT), which has been offered by variousdolphinariums around the world since the 1990s. However, until now, DAT hasnot been proven as a medically sound form of treatment. On the contrary, there is

more solid evidence on the downsides, i.e., injury, infection.

Both sharks and stingrays have been documented to be potentially dangerous instressful situations, e.g., captivity and close human interaction. There is norecorded evidence that touching/interacting with sharks and rays would be of any

benefit (emotional, educational, medical, etc.) to sharks, rays, and humans.Could we request for academic references Manila Ocean Park used in craftingthis program?

We fervently urge you to rethink these programs.

Thank you in anticipation of your reply.

Best,

Anna Oposa Trixie Concepcion

Nix Nicolas Ella Colmenares-SabinoSave Philippine Seas Earth Island Institute

AA Yaptinchay Anna CabreraMarine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines Philippine Animal Welfare Society

Vince CinchesGreenpeace Philippines

Copy furnished:

Atty. Asis Perez,Director, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

Ms. Mundita Lim,Director, Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau

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