Important to channel energy of animal lovers constructively

Tan Qiuyi Channel NewsAsia 18 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE: Mr K Shanmugam, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister and MP for Nee Soon GRC, has said it is important to channel the energy of animal lovers towards constructive and feasible solutions to resolve concerns over the treatment of animals.

He was speaking at a public forum on animal welfare policies, the first such forum in Singapore.

The event at Chong Pang on Saturday also saw the launch of the Chong Pang Animal Welfare Programme to mark the end of cat culling in the constituency.

Organisers - animal welfare group ACRES and the Cat Welfare Society - say the forum is not a one-off event. They are working to replicate it at other constituencies.

More than 400 people turned up at the event.

Mr Shanmugam said education for the young and public engagement is "the way to go" for a successful animal welfare programme in Singapore.

- CNA/ir

No more culling of cats in Chong Pang
Melissa Lin Straits Times 19 Jun 11;

Chong Pang has become the first constituency where stray cats will not be culled, after Nee Soon GRC MP K. Shanmugam launched an animal welfare programme there yesterday.

Instead of culling, grassroots workers and volunteers from animal welfare organisations will work together to sterilise the cats.

These plans were outlined yesterday at the first forum on animal welfare policies held at Chong Pang Community Club.

The public forum was organised by Singapore-based charity Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) in collaboration with the constituency's grassroots organisation.

Mr Shanmugam chaired the discussion with the executive director of Acres, Mr Louis Ng.

Emotions during some moments ran high as more than 400 people, mostly animal lovers, filled the hall and gave their views on the state of animal welfare in Singapore.

At one point, the crowd erupted in jeers when a dog breeder's name was mentioned by one participant, prompting Mr Shanmugam to appeal to those present to keep the dialogue 'civilised'.

The two-hour-long forum was split into three main topics of discussion - domestic animals, wildlife, and animals in the entertainment industry.

A hotly debated issue was about animal abuse and what was being done about it.

A forum participant said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, which investigates complaints of animal abuse, was not doing enough, and called for an independent policing unit to ensure that abusers are prosecuted.

Mr Shanmugam, who is Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs, pointed out that it is not easy to convict someone of animal abuse given that in these cases, the animal victims are unable to testify.

In the legal system, it has to be proven beyond reasonable doubt that a person did commit a crime before he can be convicted.

Nonetheless, he said there was a lot of merit in the suggestion and that it was feasible to consider more active enforcement of rules against animal abuse.

A suggestion for mandatory caning of animal abusers was also floated, but Mr Shanmugam said that implementing this would be to swim against the tide of international opinion in this area, given that the general trend is against caning.

Others called for greater transparency by government agencies and for flat owners to be allowed to keep cats in Housing Board flats.

In a suggestion that drew a few laughs, an advocate for shark conservation said government-organised banquets should stop serving shark's fin soup.

Mr Shanmugam said that, overall, the forum was 'extremely constructive' and that he would pass on the several ideas to the relevant government agencies.

But printer Roger Chow, 33, who attended the event, felt that the experience was 'underwhelming'.

The owner of a cat had gone to the forum dissatisfied with the way animal abuse cases were handled, and had hoped to see a change in sight.

'There was no indication that anything constructive will be done,' he said.

'There was only an indication that the authorities were willing to listen. I think it will take a longer time than expected for changes to take place.'

Still, polytechnic lecturer Hamidah Zam Zam, 49, who was also at the forum, felt that it was a great step forward for animal welfare supporters in Singapore.

'The fact that people are coming forward and that the place was full today makes me feel very positive that it will only get better from here,' she said.

Channel that animal passion for good
Today Online 19 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE - It is important to channel the passion and energy of animal lovers to resolve concerns about the treatment of animals, said Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam.

At the first-ever public forum in Singapore on animal welfare policies, Mr Shanmugam said: "These here today are an extremely passionate group of people. There are others who may be less passionate but, when you point out the issues to people, who's going to say, we should be less humane, we should be cruel to animals, or we shouldn't treat animals well?"

"I think it's possible to work with people, and convince them - or convince a significant section of them - that these are things we ought to do," he added.

About 400 animal lovers filled the Community Centre hall at Chong Pang, raising suggestions such as the setting up of an animal police like in Miami, micro-chipping for both cats and dogs, and mandatory caning for animal abusers.

Could this forum signal a sea change in animal welfare initiatives in Singapore?

"Something like this would have been unthinkable five years ago, but the fact that we have a forum, a full house ... yes, it is a huge step forward.

"I was told that Singaporeans (have) no compassion, no feelings ... so I hope after this, more people will come forward," said Mr Shanmugam, who is a Member of Parliament for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency.

The forum also saw the launch of the Chong Pang Animal Welfare Programme, aimed at putting an end to cat culling in the area.

Forum organisers Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES) and the Cat Welfare Society said this was not a one-off event and they hoped to replicate such forums in other constituencies.