The man behind Singapore's first wildlife shelter has survived death threats and public scepticism
Frankie Chee, Straits Times 23 Aug 09;
In his drive to fight illegal wildlife trade in Singapore, Mr Louis Ng, 31, has endured death threats, had his front door splattered with red paint and the windows of his van smashed.
But Mr Ng, founder of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), persevered and eight years on, opened a wildlife rescue centre here just over a week ago.
The Wildlife Rescue Centre - the first of its kind here - is located at a sprawling 2ha plot of land in Jalan Lekar, among a cluster of fish farms and nurseries near Choa Chu Kang.
The location is also the new headquarters for the society.
The opening of the non-government centre, which will take in reptiles and amphibians rescued from smugglers and owners who keep them illegally, is a milestone for Mr Ng who has toiled for his cause.
The $500,000 centre currently only has one animal occupant - a star tortoise that was left at the centre's gate - but it is early days. Yet, Mr Ng already has plans to open another centre in Malaysia, and offices in other countries.
The opening of the centre is a far cry from Acres' humble beginnings in a small office with two tables at the Golden Mile Complex. The organisation was registered in 2001.
Since then, Mr Ng has worked to uncover evidence of the illegal wildlife trade here.
The animal lover - his HDB apartment in Jurong West that he shares with wife and fellow Acres worker Amy Corrigan is currently home to a dog with a deformed leg that he found abandoned - has petitioned for wildlife causes ceaselessly.
He has also pushed for legislation changes on endangered species.
And he has achieved much. Acres has successfully lobbied for the penalty for wildlife smuggling to be increased from $5,000 to $50,000, and has also worked to persuade the upcoming Resorts World in Sentosa to drop its plans to import whale sharks as an attraction.
And, more than just talk, the staff and volunteers at Acres actively get their hands dirty by posing as buyers of illegal wildlife or wildlife products and gathering evidence against them using hidden cameras, then handing these over to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).
'We don't want to just leave it to the authorities to handle the problem, we want to actively participate in solving it,' he explains.
Some of Acres' achievements include the rescue of a rare South African vervet monkey locked in a factory in 2003, the seizure of 11 animals of seven different species kept by a man in his bedroom in 2001 and bringing about a drop in the number of traditional Chinese medicine shops illegally selling bear bile and gall bladders after an undercover stint the same year.
For all his efforts, Ng is paid only $1,600 a month, while wife Amy, 32, the director of education in Acres, receives $400 less. The rest of the seven staff get between $500 and $1,600.
Mr Ng, who has no children yet, admits: 'There are some drawbacks to this job but we are passionate enough about our work not to be concerned by them. We're one of the most dedicated teams around and my colleagues and I are not here for the money, but to make a difference.'
Indeed, the charity-funded society has had to struggle with money as the majority of its funds come from donations, with government grants and corporate contributions making up the rest.
The society's operating costs are between $400,000 and $500,000 annually, while its new Wildlife Rescue Centre needs about $20,000 a month.
'The bulk of our money comes from the man on the street, the $5 or $10 donations. So it takes a lot of effort to raise the funds,' he says.
He recalls how he raised funds during Acres' early years through 'sheer perseverence' by cold-calling companies. That is how he got an initial $8,000 from the Lee Foundation. And, in 2005, with only $8,000 in Acres' bank account, the gutsy young man had to call donors and beg for money.
Today, the society has 18,000 supporters in its database.
Money aside, he also faced initial criticisms and scepticism. Even his parents, retired civil servant Angela Quek, 60, and sales manager Robert Ng, 61, were upset that the younger of two children, a National University of Singapore biology graduate, went down this path and had a starting pay of only $500.
But, after successfully campaigning for a baby chimpanzee, used by the zoo for photo-taking sessions, to be returned to its mother, he realised that he would have to speak up against cruelty to animals beyond the usual dogs and cats.
He recalls: 'It was a challenge in the beginning because we were starting something new, and we were not going to just rescue animals but also change people's mindset.'
Through roadshows and campaigns, he showed that Acres is not just another society fighting animal cruelty but is also trying to put an end to the illegal wildlife trade, which is estimated to be worth US$10 billion (S$14.5 billion) worldwide. He raises awareness of the problem at these events.
'Acres can't do everything, we need to get the public involved. If we can get four million Singaporeans to be our eyes, we can wipe out the illegal wildlife trade,' he stresses.
So there is still acres of work ahead for the animal rights group which has made its presence felt here.
'It's a continuing process. After eight years of our work here, people now believe we're here to stay because we have a proper focus,' he says.
Acres' milestones
The Straits Times 23 Aug 09;
The Acres Wildlife Rescue Centre, which opened over a week ago, has a garden with educational fun facts about wildlife. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
2001: Mr Louis Ng, then a 23-year old undergraduate studying biology at the National University of Singapore (NUS), sets up the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) with eight other friends.
The plucky activist writes letters to several organisations, including the Lee Foundation, to seek funding.
2002: An investigation by Acres leads to a clampdown by the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) on shops illegally selling bear bile and gall bladder here.
2003: Acting on a tip-off, Acres rescues a rare South African vervet monkey which was caged in a factory in Tuas.
It also petitions for Underwater World's pink dolphins kept at its Dolphin Lagoon in Sentosa to be released, and threatens to report the attraction's owners for animal abuse.
2004: Acres sets up a hotline for the public to inform it about any illegal wildlife activities. It offers a $1,000 reward for information about a tiger and a Malayan sun bear being kept as pets. Acres finds a home for the vervet monkey rescued a year ago - the Munda Wanga Sanctuary in Zambia. The repatriation project costs $6,000.
2005: The society has just $8,000 left in its bank account, prompting Mr Ng to go knocking on doors for donations. It receives an approval from the AVA to set up a wildlife shelter.
2008: Together with the Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the Nature Society of Singapore, Acres lobbies for the upcoming Resorts World in Sentosa to drop its plans to import a whale shark for its oceanarium.
2009: Resorts World agrees not to bring in the whale shark. Acres opens its Wildlife Rescue Centre, which will be used to house rescued animals till they can be repatriated.
