(CN)Comments invited on child swimming with Beluga Whale in China

[Guest guest]

Dear colleagues,

The attached article appeared in today's edition of

the Daily Mail newspaper. I would invite your comments on this on whether

there are any animal welfare or human safety issues involved in such a

display.

Thanks.

Regards,

 

 

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id\

=488166 & in_page_id=1811

 

Having a whale of a time: The little boy who goes swimming with a gentle

giant

By PETER SIMPSON - More by this author

»<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/dmsearch/overture.html?in_page_id=711 & in_over\

ture_ua=cat & in_start_number=0 & in_restriction=byline & in_query=peter

simpson & in_name=on & in_order_by=relevance+date> Last updated at 21:42pm on

17th October 2007

 

[image: Comments]

Comments<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_a\

rticle_id=488166 & in_page_id=1811#StartComments>

There is no mistaking the excitement on the four-year-old boy's face as he

swims alongside a beluga whale many times his size.

 

And the whale seems to be enjoying the company, too.

 

The boy, named Yang Yang, will ride his playmate bareback to entertain the

crowds between the sailing events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

 

Yang Yang, who has been swimming since he was one, was chosen to swim with

the five-year-old whale by staff at Qingdao Polar Ocean World in China's

eastern Shandong Province.

 

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Underwater friends: Yang Yang ducks deep with his favourite beluga whale. He

has been a swimmer since he was one year old.

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Star attractions: Yang Yang reaches out to pat his favourite pal

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image]<http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_03/yangwhaleEPA1710_800x525.jpg>

 

They first appeared in public together during the country's National

Children's Day in the summer and proved such a success that it was decided

to make them an Olympic attraction.

 

The boy's parents think he is one of the luckiest in China, but others might

disagree, bearing in mind the country's reputation for pushing young

athletes to extremes.

 

Yang Yang is one of about 280million children in China - representing about

one-fifth of the child population of the world.

 

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Fearless: Young Yang Yang rides bare back with his very own big friendly

giant

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image]<http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_03/yangyangAP1710_800x515.jpg>

<http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_03/yangwhaleAP1710_800x523.jpg>

 

Friends reunited: Yang Yang and his whale chum copy each other underwater.

The unusual pair became firm friends after appearing together during China's

National Children's Day.

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image]<http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_03/yangwhaleAP1710_800x523.jpg>

 

The whale's wild peers, however, are an endangered species.

 

There are fewer than 80,000 beluga whales left in Arctic waters, with St

Lawrence, Cook Inlet, and Alaskan belugas classified as endangered.

 

The recently completed Qingdao Polar Ocean World is home to more than 10,000

ornamental fish, as well as white whales and polar bears - and is one of the

largest polar marine animal parks in the world.