A Singapore casino developer said it was considering alternatives to its plan to exhibit whale sharks, the world’s largest fish, which had run into strong opposition from animal welfare groups.
“We have started to explore plans for an alternative to a whale shark exhibit,” Krist Boo, the spokeswoman for Resorts World at Sentosa, told AFP.
Resorts World at Sentosa, one of two casino resorts being built in Singapore, had planned to import the whale sharks for its Marine Life Park (MLP) which is set to become the world’s biggest oceanarium upon completion.
The park however said its move was not due to pressure by the seven animal welfare groups which have launched an online petition that has gathered more than 9,000 signatures.
“The MLP team does not take its responsibilities to both conservation and Singapore lightly and as such, we spent the past two years doing much groundwork,” it said in a statement to AFP.
“We strongly believe that our action must be governed by the conservation of this species rather than what is dictated by fleeting public opinion.”
Alternative options to the whale shark exhibit being considered by the MLP were shown to the various animal welfare groups last month, it said.
“This proposal is still in the process of being refined for a further round of review,” the MLP said.
Any changes to the planned whale shark exhibit would have to get the final approval of the Singapore government.
Animal welfare groups welcomed the move by Resorts World at Sentosa to consider alternatives to exhibiting whale sharks, which can reach lengths of 12m, about the size of a bus.
“I think it’s very progressive in that they are considering other alternatives,” said Louis Ng, executive director and founder of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society group.
Jaki Teo, the campaign coordinator behind the online petition (www.whalesharkpetition.com), hoped the authorities would consider the concerns raised by animal welfare groups about the whale sharks.
“A lot of the concerns are about the fact that they are not suited to be held in captivity,” she said.
(AFP)
新加坡某賭場開發商表示,他們正考慮更換原先計畫展出的鯨鯊展,鯨鯊是全世界最大的魚種;若干動物福利團體強烈反對展出鯨鯊。
「聖淘沙名勝世界」女發言人克莉絲特.巫對法新社表示:「我們已經開始尋求鯨鯊展的替代方案。」
「聖淘沙名勝世界」是新加坡興建中的兩處賭場度假村之一,該賭場原先計畫替附設的海洋生物館引進鯨鯊,這間海生館開幕後可望成為全世界最大的海洋生物館。
然而,該海生館否認他們這樣做是受到來自七個動物福利團體的壓力;這些團體日前在網路上發起了一項請願活動,結果獲得超過九千位網友連署。
該賭場發給法新社的一份聲明中說:「海生館不會草率看待其對保育及新加坡的責任,我們過去兩年來做了非常充分的準備。」
「我們堅信,我們的計畫必取決於對該物種的保育,而不是順應民眾一時的意見。」
聲明指出,海生館正在考慮的鯨鯊展替代方案,上個月已送交數個動物福利團體參考。
海生館表示:「這項提案仍在修訂以待進一步審核。」
這場規劃中鯨鯊展的任何變更都需得到新加坡政府的許可。
動物福利團體很高興「聖淘沙名勝世界」考慮以其他方案替代鯨鯊展;鯨鯊身長可達十二公尺,體積約等於一輛公車的大小。
關愛動物研究教育協會執行長暨創辦人路易斯.吳說:「我認為他們開始考慮其他替代方案,是一大進步。」
這場線上連署(www.whalesharkpetition.com)活動策劃人賈姬.張希望有關當局能顧及動物福利團體對鯨鯊的關注。
她說:「我們最大的顧慮是牠們並不適合被人類豢養。」
(法新社╱翻譯:袁星塵)
Taiwanese cuisine boasts a rich culture of thick soups, with various options available at street vendors or high-end restaurants. In English, this style of dish is typically called “thick soup.” Western cuisine typically uses flour, cream, or mashed vegetables to create a creamy consistency, while in Taiwan, thick soups are made by simply incorporating food starch into the soup and creating a smooth and silky texture. Tutuo fish in thick soup is such a soup with fried tutuo fish chunks, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and wood ears. 台灣羹品飲食文化豐富,無論是巷口小店或是高檔餐廳,都有提供羹料理。羹在英文稱作「濃湯」,西式濃湯是以麵粉、鮮奶油、蔬菜泥等達到濃稠的口感,台灣的羹湯用太白粉即能做出濃稠絲滑的湯頭。土魠魚羹就是在勾芡的羹湯中加入炸土魠魚塊、香菇、竹筍、木耳等食材的料理。 boast (v.) 擁有(令人驕傲的事物) consistency (n.) 濃稠度 chunk (n.) 厚塊,大塊 wood ear (n. ph.) 木耳 The star of this
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs. WHAT ARE CORALS? Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies. Their calcium carbonate secretions form hard and protective scaffolding that serves as a home to many colorful species of single-celled algae. The two organisms have evolved over millennia to work together, with corals providing shelter to algae,
A: So who were Hollywood’s highest-paid stars of 2023? B: No. 5 to No. 2 were: Matt Damon with US$43 million, Ryan Gosling with US$43 million, Tom Cruise with US$45 million, and Margot Robbie with US$59 million. A: Didn’t Tom Cruise top the list? B: Nope, Adam Sandler was No.1, having made US$73 million, which is about NT$2.34 billion. A: Wow, maybe I should change my career to acting. A: 好萊塢去年的片酬排行榜前幾名是誰? B: 第5到2名是︰麥特戴蒙、4300萬美元,雷恩葛斯林、4300萬美元,湯姆克魯斯、4500萬美元,瑪格羅比、5900萬美元。 A: 冠軍竟然不是阿湯哥? B: 是亞當山德勒、片酬7300萬美元,大約23.4億台幣! A: 天啊或許我也該轉行當演員啦。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
A symbol of purity and cleanliness, the color white is the standard color for coats worn by doctors. While this has been the case for well over 100 years, it hasn’t always been so. In fact, before the late 19th century, doctors wore formal black attire, which was similar to that worn by clergymen. Black was chosen for practical reasons—it hid stains from medical procedures and presented a sense of seriousness. The major reason for the color change of the doctor’s coat was to distinguish qualified, professional doctors from those with little or no medical training. Since medical science