Question:

Animal Instincts
Animal activism is alive and well in Singapore, with animal lovers forming welfare groups for their furry friends
By Mak Mun San and Karl Ho
SHE was a three-month-old mongrel, scampering around the Bishan area, frightened and alone. A man spotted her and took her home. But the stench from her open sores - due to a severe fungal infection - was so bad that he could only bear to put her up for a night.
He appealed to the Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) for help. Members of ASD took the puppy to a vet, who diagnosed her skin condition as genetic and requiring long-term care.
Although he advised that she be put down, ASD stuck to its no-kill policy. That was in June 2003.
Today, Chops, an affectionate dog, is recovering steadily under the care of her fosterer. When she is fully fit, she will be put up for adoption.
The story of Chops is just one of many sad yet uplifting examples of animal rescue taking place here.
Yes, animal activism is alive - and the activists are making themselves heard.
In recent years, animal lovers have ganged up to form more than 12 non-profit welfare groups for dogs, cats, rabbits and wildlife.
With the help of the Internet, individuals not affiliated to any group have also been actively involved in fostering and re-homing stray animals.
Indeed, gone are the days when animal lovers passively left matters to the two main players in animal welfare - the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
And they are not championing their cause alone either. Some of these groups attract a large following, such as the 2 1/2-year-old Animal Lovers League (ALL), which has 700 members.
'Animal welfare may be one of the lowest priorities for the Government, but there are actually many, many animal lovers out there who do care a lot,' says ALL's founder Cathy Strong, a Chinese Singaporean businesswoman.
ASD's president and co-founder Ricky Yeo, 36, says people started these groups because they wanted to 'make a difference'.
'They felt not enough is being done for the animals or that things can be done in a better way,' says the software programmer.
LifeStyle estimates that there are up to 5,000 people actively involved in the animal cause here, with up to 1,000 animals under their care currently. Many are professionals like lawyers, doctors and teachers, with more women than men.
When speaking to these animal lovers, it does not take long to realise that many are against the policies of the AVA, SPCA and the Housing Board (HDB).
They are angry about the HDB rule that allows only small breeds of dogs in flats, as well as its ban on cats.
The Ministry of National Development, HDB's parent ministry, has said that this rule is to 'preserve a pleasant living environment and good relationships among the residents in our high-rise, high-density public housing estates'.
But the rules mean that many are unable to adopt cats and mongrels - which are predominantly medium-sized - which in turn exacerbates the longstanding problem of strays.
There are an estimated 60,000 stray cats and 20,000 stray dogs roaming the streets currently.
Ms Wong Wai Ping, 37, who started the online group DogPeople.org in 2003, cites the animal killing policy of both the AVA and the SPCA as another reason behind increasing animal activism.
'People are getting fed up with killings, more killings and never-ending killings,' says the businesswoman, currently based in Japan.
Animals lovers were up in arms during the Sars epidemic in 2003 when AVA intensified its efforts to cull stray cats for public health reasons.
Around the same period, AVA also incurred the wrath of cat lovers when it suspended the Stray Cat Rehabilitation programme where volunteers collect stray cats for spaying before returning them to their environment.
According to AVA, the scheme did not resolve the problems of strays.
SOS Animals founder Sandy Lim, 50, feels that AVA's response to strays is too 'clinical'.
'Their approach is: 'You've got a stray, set traps for it, catch it and then kill it',' she says with a steely glint in her eyes. 'But for animal lovers like us, we react with our hearts and our minds.'
Her group advocates sterilisation, as does most other welfare groups.
Animal activists have also been calling on the authorities to control the number of pet shops and breeders here to arrest the alarming rise in the number of abandoned pets.
LAST year, a total of 4,050 dogs and 6,131 cats were impounded and culled by the AVA, while 2,119 dogs and 5,271 cats were put to sleep by the SPCA.
Dr Leow Su Hua, 41, head of AVA's animal welfare education branch, says that the agency does not wish to see any animal put down.
But it has no choice but to put down animals in its pound because they 'have no owners or are surrendered to us as their owners are unable to care for them any longer'.
Meanwhile, the SPCA, which is seen by its detractors as a 'killer' rather than protector, of animals, stands firm by its policy in spite of the criticism.
Executive officer Deirdre Moss says: 'The SPCA does not believe in keeping animals confined long-term in cages or kennels when there is no prospective home for them.'
Each month, it receives more than 1,000 stray or abandoned cats, dogs, rabbits and other small animals, of which only 85 or so are adopted.
'Unless you've been there and you've tried running a shelter with a no-kill policy and which takes in unlimited numbers of animals, I don't think you qualify to condemn or speak up against euthanasia,' adds Ms Moss, 53.
To be fair, animal activists here are not placard-waving zealots who burn fur coats, unlike some of their counterparts in the West like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).
They are also able to put their differences aside and cooperate with the authorities to improve the welfare of animals.
For example, the three-year-old Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) has provided tip-offs to the AVA, leading to the seizure of wild animals kept illegally.
Others, like ALL, ASD, SOS Animals, Cat Welfare Society (CWS) and the House Rabbit Society, have worked with the AVA to promote responsible pet ownership.
Ms Christina Eng, 37, the vice-president of CWS, says: 'We may be passionate about our cause, but we're also very rational and sane people.'
In fact, SPCA's Ms Moss says she is happy to see the emergence of such private groups.
'To me, the more the better,' she says. 'You can't possibly have just one group doing animal welfare work. You need a variety of specialist groups to work together to create more awareness.'

Answer:


Animal Instincts
Animal activism is alive and well in Singapore, with animal lovers forming welfare groups for their furry friends
By Mak Mun San and Karl Ho
SHE was a three-month-old mongrel, scampering around the Bishan area, frightened and alone. A man spotted her and took her home. But the stench from her open sores - due to a severe fungal infection - was so bad that he could only bear to put her up for a night.
He appealed to the Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) for help. Members of ASD took the puppy to a vet, who diagnosed her skin condition as genetic and requiring long-term care.
Although he advised that she be put down, ASD stuck to its no-kill policy. That was in June 2003.
Today, Chops, an affectionate dog, is recovering steadily under the care of her fosterer. When she is fully fit, she will be put up for adoption.
The story of Chops is just one of many sad yet uplifting examples of animal rescue taking place here.
Yes, animal activism is alive - and the activists are making themselves heard.
In recent years, animal lovers have ganged up to form more than 12 non-profit welfare groups for dogs, cats, rabbits and wildlife.
With the help of the Internet, individuals not affiliated to any group have also been actively involved in fostering and re-homing stray animals.
Indeed, gone are the days when animal lovers passively left matters to the two main players in animal welfare - the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
And they are not championing their cause alone either. Some of these groups attract a large following, such as the 2 1/2-year-old Animal Lovers League (ALL), which has 700 members.
'Animal welfare may be one of the lowest priorities for the Government, but there are actually many, many animal lovers out there who do care a lot,' says ALL's founder Cathy Strong, a Chinese Singaporean businesswoman.
ASD's president and co-founder Ricky Yeo, 36, says people started these groups because they wanted to 'make a difference'.
'They felt not enough is being done for the animals or that things can be done in a better way,' says the software programmer.
LifeStyle estimates that there are up to 5,000 people actively involved in the animal cause here, with up to 1,000 animals under their care currently. Many are professionals like lawyers, doctors and teachers, with more women than men.
When speaking to these animal lovers, it does not take long to realise that many are against the policies of the AVA, SPCA and the Housing Board (HDB).
They are angry about the HDB rule that allows only small breeds of dogs in flats, as well as its ban on cats.
The Ministry of National Development, HDB's parent ministry, has said that this rule is to 'preserve a pleasant living environment and good relationships among the residents in our high-rise, high-density public housing estates'.
But the rules mean that many are unable to adopt cats and mongrels - which are predominantly medium-sized - which in turn exacerbates the longstanding problem of strays.
There are an estimated 60,000 stray cats and 20,000 stray dogs roaming the streets currently.
Ms Wong Wai Ping, 37, who started the online group DogPeople.org in 2003, cites the animal killing policy of both the AVA and the SPCA as another reason behind increasing animal activism.
'People are getting fed up with killings, more killings and never-ending killings,' says the businesswoman, currently based in Japan.
Animals lovers were up in arms during the Sars epidemic in 2003 when AVA intensified its efforts to cull stray cats for public health reasons.
Around the same period, AVA also incurred the wrath of cat lovers when it suspended the Stray Cat Rehabilitation programme where volunteers collect stray cats for spaying before returning them to their environment.
According to AVA, the scheme did not resolve the problems of strays.
SOS Animals founder Sandy Lim, 50, feels that AVA's response to strays is too 'clinical'.
'Their approach is: 'You've got a stray, set traps for it, catch it and then kill it',' she says with a steely glint in her eyes. 'But for animal lovers like us, we react with our hearts and our minds.'
Her group advocates sterilisation, as does most other welfare groups.
Animal activists have also been calling on the authorities to control the number of pet shops and breeders here to arrest the alarming rise in the number of abandoned pets.
LAST year, a total of 4,050 dogs and 6,131 cats were impounded and culled by the AVA, while 2,119 dogs and 5,271 cats were put to sleep by the SPCA.
Dr Leow Su Hua, 41, head of AVA's animal welfare education branch, says that the agency does not wish to see any animal put down.
But it has no choice but to put down animals in its pound because they 'have no owners or are surrendered to us as their owners are unable to care for them any longer'.
Meanwhile, the SPCA, which is seen by its detractors as a 'killer' rather than protector, of animals, stands firm by its policy in spite of the criticism.
Executive officer Deirdre Moss says: 'The SPCA does not believe in keeping animals confined long-term in cages or kennels when there is no prospective home for them.'
Each month, it receives more than 1,000 stray or abandoned cats, dogs, rabbits and other small animals, of which only 85 or so are adopted.
'Unless you've been there and you've tried running a shelter with a no-kill policy and which takes in unlimited numbers of animals, I don't think you qualify to condemn or speak up against euthanasia,' adds Ms Moss, 53.
To be fair, animal activists here are not placard-waving zealots who burn fur coats, unlike some of their counterparts in the West like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).
They are also able to put their differences aside and cooperate with the authorities to improve the welfare of animals.
For example, the three-year-old Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) has provided tip-offs to the AVA, leading to the seizure of wild animals kept illegally.
Others, like ALL, ASD, SOS Animals, Cat Welfare Society (CWS) and the House Rabbit Society, have worked with the AVA to promote responsible pet ownership.
Ms Christina Eng, 37, the vice-president of CWS, says: 'We may be passionate about our cause, but we're also very rational and sane people.'
In fact, SPCA's Ms Moss says she is happy to see the emergence of such private groups.
'To me, the more the better,' she says. 'You can't possibly have just one group doing animal welfare work. You need a variety of specialist groups to work together to create more awareness.'

Answer:

waitaminit
waitaminit
HDB bans cats?
... cos i have a cat

Answer:

wow, i didnt know that either...but apparently so....will do a through check on this and do an update on this.