Letter from Susanna Lim Poh Suan (Miss), Straits Times Forum 17 Apr 08;
RESIDENTS in Jurong West have made desperate calls to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to remove a pack of wild stray dogs that has terrorised the area, going on the rampage attacking and mauling community cats and residents' pets, and putting people at risk of vicious attacks.
We have told the AVA where these dogs have been seen but to date, they are still on the loose and we are still confronted by the gruesome sight of mangled dead cats in the street.
We can only watch helplessly the harm and destruction caused by these wild dogs. With every passing day, they grow bolder and have started to chase frightened passers-by and people walking their pets.
I am very concerned, especially for the safety of young children in schools nearby.
Stray dogs rarely attack, or even approach, humans
Letter from Action for Singapore Dogs Society, Straits Times Forum 23 Apr 08;
I WOULD like to clarify certain points made by Miss Susanna Lim in her letter last Thursday, 'Wild dogs terrorise Jurong'. While the letter drums up the drama, the reality is that stray dogs rarely attack or even approach humans unless provoked or they perceive a threat.
The instinct for stray dogs is to seek out food sources for survival, and where there are community cats with caregivers putting out food for them, these dogs are can detect the scent. We have always advocated a system of responsible stray management for all animals, and a key point is that caregivers must feed responsibly and discreetly, ensuring there is no leftover food which may attract dogs and other pests.
Dogs by nature are territorial, and will not encroach on another's territory. Based on this understanding, cat caregivers can set up patrols with pots and pans and ward off the pack with noise and dominant gestures, targeting the pack leader, which is usually a male.
Another key point of a responsible stray management system is sterilisation, not culling. The results from First World countries are proof of that, and we have seen the results. Sterilised strays cannot breed and will eventually die from natural causes. Only when the balance is upset by the authorities culling them, do we see the stray population increasing as unsterilised strays move in and breed again. Culling is a short-term solution which wastes taxpayers' money and does not achieve the objective of reducing the stray population in the long term.
With the scarcity of land and resources, it must be understood that stray management is a community effort, and not just left to the handful of animal welfare organisations. Taking the animals off the streets is an ideal but simplistic notion. There are too many, and not enough land and resources. With cooperation between the authorities, animal welfare organisations and the community, and a responsible stray management system in place, the objective of reducing the stray animal population can be steadily achieved.
Ricky Yeo
President
Action for Singapore Dogs Society
AVA impounding wild dogs in Jurong
Letter from AVA, Straits Times Forum 26 Apr 08;
I REFER to the letter, 'Wild dogs terrorise Jurong' by Ms Susanna Lim (April 17).
In response to feedback from residents last month concerning wild dogs around Jurong West Street 25 to Street 81, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) animal control team visited the area on several occasions to impound the dogs. To date, two have been impounded. Wild dogs are elusive and not easy to capture. Nevertheless, we will continue to visit the area to impound the remaining stray dogs.
We would also like to remind dog owners not to abandon their pets or allow them to stray.
We thank Ms Lim for her feedback.
Goh Shih Yong
Assistant Director, Corporate Communications
For CEO, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority
