Whale shark campaign - SPCA says no to whale sharks in captivity
Our September newsletter reported the sale of SPCA-produced t-shirts to spread awareness on our stand in saying "no" to Resorts World Sentosa's plan to import a whale shark as one of its Marine Life Park's attractions. We are glad to inform you that the t-shirt has proved very popular.
The t-shirt costs only $6.00. If you have not yet purchased one, you may want to drop by the SPCA to get yours.
We thank all those members and friends who have responded in support of SPCA's call to say "no" to Singapore bringing a whale shark. The SPCA would also like to thank Asia! magazine, Flash INK and Singapore Poly's newsletter Fullstop for providing free space for our campaign advertisement, and Lifestyle for publicising this important issue. Sign the whale shark petition at www.whalesharkpetition.com.
Bottlenose dolphins captured from the wild for Resorts World Sentosa
The press reported in December that seven bottlenose dolphins (which are part of a group of 18) are en route from their Solomon Islands habitat to their new home at Resorts World Sentosa. It was also reported that they were caught from the wild and being kept at Ocean Adventure Park at Subic Bay in the Philippines.
That same month, the SPCA wrote to Resorts World to ask for a review and reversal of the decision to import these animals. Following a further news report in January, the SPCA wrote to the Straits Times Forum Page to air its stand on the issue. The letter was published on Thursday 22 January. Read more here.
Members and friends are encouraged to write in to the following people to voice their objections against importing these dolphins into Singapore. They are:
- Mr Tan Hee Teck, CEO, Resorts World Sentosa, 39, Artillery Ave, Sentosa S(099958)
- Mrs Aw Koh Peng, CEO, Singapore Tourism Board, Tourism Court, 1 Orchard Spring Lane S(247729)
- Ms Tan Poh Hong, CEO, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority, 5 Maxwell Road, #03-00, Tower Block MND Complex S(069110)
Free market = Responsible pet ownership?
SPCA is on the receiving end of the disposal of pets in Singapore. Every day, pet owners find reasons not to keep their animals. The fact is, there are too many pets on sale encouraging and tempting impulse buyers.
The Agri-food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) believes that public education on responsible pet ownership is the key to reducing the problem of strays. However, the SPCA believes that a multi-prong approach must be taken to adequately address the problem of pet abandonment.
Responsible pet ownership campaigns are not going to work unless preventive measures are put in place, such as restrictions on commercial breeding, importation and sale and compulsory counselling at the point of sale.
Singapore is a small island with residents living in close proximity. A 'free market policy' where there is no limit placed on number of animals commercially imported, bred and sold is not suited to Singapore - especially when there are restrictions by the HDB on the keeping of pets (only one small breed of dog is permitted).
SPCA teams up with cinemas to spread the message against impulse buying
Just before the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua was released in November, the SPCA approached major cinema operators, Cathay, Eng Wah, Golden Village and Shaw to help spread awareness against impulse buying of Chihuahuas. They did so by screening relevant messages through the cinemas' various mediums. The objective was to caution patrons against being tempted to buy cute dogs similar to those featured in the movie.
SPCA thanks all the cinemas who unanimously agreed to spread the message. We have also followed up with requests for the same to be done with other animal-themed movies such as Bolt and Marley and Me.
13% less cats received at the SPCA
The SPCA has been taking in the same number of dogs over the past two years but the bright spot has been that fewer cats have come through our doors and the number is dropping. Last year, the SPCA saw a 13 per cent decrease of cats taken in. Where the society used to take in an average of 500 cats a month, the average now is around 300.
This significant change in statistics is likely due to more stray cats being sterilised
The SPCA has implemented a free voucher scheme since 1991 and distributed over 2,000 vouchers last year which enabled volunteer caregivers to have a neighbourhood cat sterilised at a participating veterinary clinic with SPCA bearing the costs.
The SPCA is grateful for this support from various veterinary clinics which charged a subsidised rate. SPCA channels $4,800 per month to the vouchers scheme for strays, in addition to carrying out surgeries for strays on selected days at its clinic. An anonymous donor also contributes on a regular basis specifically for the voucher scheme which has helped us give out even more vouchers than budgeted for. Although the demand for vouchers always exceeds the supply, there are still many community cats being sterilised, which ultimately means the number of births should decline.
All volunteer care-givers in our community must be commended for their dedication and commitment to helping reduce the number of strays being born.
HDB's existing policy on keeping of cats results in no accountability
There have been numerous ongoing debates online and in the press about the unreasonable ban in Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats. The following appears on their website: "Cats are not allowed to be kept in HDB flats as they are nomadic in nature and are difficult to be confined within the flats. Due to the nomadic nature of cats, the nuisances caused by cats such as shedding of fur, defecating/urinating in public areas, noise disturbance etc. would affect the environment and neighbourliness in our housing estates." The present policy indirectly allows present cat owners to be irresponsible.
Contrary to the above statement, cats are clean animals and they make ideal pets for apartment living. They are easily toilet-trained and would not affect the environment or cause problems to neighbours if mandatory rules were set - that the animals be micro-chipped (for accountability), sterilised (to curb their roaming desires) and kept indoors. The present policy indirectly allows cat owners to be irresponsible.
The SPCA has regularly advocated to the HDB and Ministry of National Development officials that cats be permitted in flats.
Members and friends are encouraged to write in to Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister of National Development at mah_bow_tan@mnd.gov.sg to ask for a reversal for this present ruling.
New rules for owners of Rottweilers?
In November, the authorities announced that they would consider changing the licensing rules for Rottweilers. This was in reaction to the three attacks by such dogs recently. Compulsory obedience training may become part of the new rules.
At the launch of the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) road show on responsible pet ownership in the same month, the Parliamentary Secretary for National Development, Mr Mohamad Maliki Osman said that it is imperative that dogs be well-controlled and managed in our densely-populated environment where people and pets come into close contact.
The SPCA advocated compulsory training for all breeds of dogs in a Straits Times report shortly after. This will give their owners a chance to understand their dogs better while learning to be more responsible dog owners.
Every dog deserves to be trained
Dogs are known as man's best friend, but in many instances they are not kept in proper conditions and often deprived of socialisation, exercise and training. There are many avenues for learning how to train dogs today, even if owners are unable to attend obedience class.
People may say that they do not have the time, but owning a dog is a commitment which takes time and patience (not forgetting the financial costs involved). Owning a dog (or any pet) can be the most rewarding experience, but it is a two-way process which more than reaps benefits, provided the effort is made. For more information on dog training click here.
More replies in the press:
SPCA advises the public on dog trainers
Following an article in the Straits Times in November on 'Small dogs, big bites' and 'Training benefits both pets and owners', the SPCA wrote to the Forum Page to advice the public on the importance of picking the right dog trainer. It was published in the Forum Page, 3 January entitled 'Pick the right trainers for dogs'. Read more here.
Animal experimentation
SPCA also responded to a Straits Times article entitled 'Lab-testing of animals on the rise here'. It was published in the Forum Page 10 January. Read the letter here.
Complaints of stray cats
Following two letters of complaint on stray cats at East Coast Park that appeared in the Straits Times Forum Page in January, the SPCA replied on the issue. Our letter was published in the online Forum Page on 22 January. Read it here.
Culling of sterilised stray cats
An Ang Mo Kio resident wrote in to The New Paper You section questioning the necessity of culling sterilised stray cats since stray feeders have put in so much effort and money into helping these felines. Another wrote in about sparing a thought for other animals too in the same section. Both of our replies were published in the same month.
The SPCA thanks the Straits Times Forum Page and The New Paper editors for helping SPCA spread awareness on the above animal welfare issues.
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