Manila Ocean Park has taken 300 species of fish from their natural homes and placed them in tanks in a hotel, a restaurant, and various other locations throughout the marine park. These tanks could never come close to replicating the animals' natural habitats. Marine animals are meant to swim freely, but at Manila Ocean Park, they are confined to tanks that are vastly smaller than their natural environments, and they are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them. The Philippine Tourism Authority is heavily promoting Manila Ocean Park and the cruelty to animals that goes along with it.

Far from helping or conserving the environment, marine parks also contribute to the destruction of valuable ecosystems. Coral reefs, which support one-third of the world's fish species, are being destroyed—nearly 12 million pieces of coral are taken from the oceans and traded worldwide every year. One of the most commonly traded varieties, carnation coral, generally only survives for a few weeks in an aquarium.

Please join PETA Asia-Pacific in urging the Philippine Tourism Authority to stop promoting Manila Ocean Park! Write to Mr. Robert Dean Barbers, general manager of the authority, and ask him to redirect tourism efforts to promoting institutions that truly do conservation work, such as the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park and World Heritage Site or the APO Island.

You can also send written correspondence to:
 
Mr. Robert Dean S. Barbers
General Manager
6/F Philippine Tourism Authority
DOT Bldg., T.M. Kalaw St.
Teodoro F. Valencia Circle, Ermita
Manila, Philippines 1600

Personalized letters always work best. Feel free to use the following text, but your message will carry more weight if you write your own customized message and subject line.