Animal rights group Acres' executive director, Mr Louis Ng, and campaigns officer, Ms Christine Lee, showed up at Ang Mo Kio MRT station on Thursday lunchtime to query Mr Tan Jee Say at his walkabout, reported The Straits Times.
Acres had also sent emails to the candidates on August 15 asking for their views and got answers from Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Mr Tan Kin Lian. They asked Dr Tony Tan at a talk last Saturday.
Supporting Acres' cause, Mr Tan Jee Say said: "Moral issues don't just extend to humans but also to animals... I think it's part of my values for conscience, empathy. I think (dolphins) are lovely creatures, they give us a lot of joy. We should help, promote and protect them."
He hoped that young people would do more volunteer work and take up social causes such as dolphin protection.
Animal lover Dr Tan Cheng Bock said: "Animals born in the wild should not be confined for entertainment. They are born free, let them stay free."
However, the other two candidates were more neutral in their responses.
"The decision on what is the correct thing to do is a difficult one," said Tan Kin Lian. He noted that dolphins released back into the wild face danger of being accidentally captured or killed by fishing fleets.
"On the other hand if they are moved into Marine Life Park (MLP), they would lose their freedom and be caged in an artificial environment. While the dolphins might be safe from physical harm, they might not be happy in their environment," he noted.
"Both Acres and RWS have similar goals of marine conservation, research and education. They should work together to come up with a solution where the dolphins are safe from physical harm and at the same time have happy, meaningful lives," he added.
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