Yen Feng, Straits Times 2 Jun 08;
PET lovers cheered when Singapore's first animal welfare symposium took place recently to advance the rights of their furry friends here.
Several pet peeves were put up for discussion throughout the day.
Among them: Existing laws on cruelty to animals, product testing and the illegal trade of wildlife.
Most wanted tougher legislation to minimise the suffering of pets and animals used in research and farming. A few outspoken participants reiterated the need for more education on animal welfare for children.
Leading the pack was 25-year-old Jaipal Gill, an inspector with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
A vegetarian since he was 14, the National University of Singapore (NUS) alumnus said he began preparations for the symposium while he was still a student in 2006.
In the same year, he founded the school's animal welfare club.
'I've always been passionate about animals. I want to spend the rest of my life fighting for their welfare,' he said.
Mr Gill said he is now working with the authorities to stop the import of tattooed fish, which gained popularity with 4-D punters earlier this year.
His dedication has motivated other youth to further improve the lives of animals.
The day-long symposium was organised by students from NUS, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU).
Onboard too was the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), which helped pull in 14 other animal-interest groups, including Action for Singapore Dogs, Cat Welfare Society and the SPCA.
Altogether, about 250 activists attended the event on May 24.
Although the symposium united many of Singapore's animal lovers, not everyone saw eye to eye.
A lively discussion about stray animals, for example, threw up more questions than answers as officers from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and SPCA traded views on who should take more responsibility - the authorities or animal welfare groups - for the culling and sterilisation of stray cats and dogs.
A few argued it was the domain of individual pet owners.
'Irresponsible people should not buy pets,' said MsSatveer Kaur, 22, a communications student at NUS.
'They treat animals like commodities, like teddy bears - good to toy with for a while before dumping them out in the trash.'
To encourage more citizen involvement, Mr Gill announced a $1,500 grant for groups that want to start pet-friendly campaigns, funded by the Lee Foundation.
Six grants will be available this year.
While most participants heralded the symposium as a great leap forward for Singapore's animal rights movement, there were some who wished for more converts to their cause.
'Mindsets need to be changed,' said activist Lau Wen Jin, 21.
'Otherwise, even with great enthusiasm, we will always be in the minority.'
