Animal welfare: Response good so far, says Shanmugam

Vimita Mohandas and Olivia Siong Today Online 3 Jan 12;

SINGAPORE - One of the reasons for having several pilot animal welfare programmes in his constituency was to showcase the possibilities and, after six months, the response "has been good so far", Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said yesterday.

More people are coming forward to help in these programmes on pet ownership and management of strays in Chong Pang.

And following its first public forum held in June last year, attended by animal welfare groups and more than 400 animal lovers, a second one is now being planned for the first half of this year.

Mr Shanmugam, a Member of Parliament for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency, told reporters on the sidelines of a community event that the first forum was "fairly substantial".

"A lot of feedback has been taken up, and we've crystalised the issues. Some have been dealt with," he said and added that others are being looked into, while more will be discussed at the next forum.

The constituency has halted the culling of strays and since rolled out cat feeding stations for responsible ownership of community cats. A pilot project to allow registered cats in public flats is also in the mix.

And Mr Shanmugam believes that more can be done, with the combined effort of society, government and people. But even as Chong Pang is showing the possibilities for other constituencies, he acknowledged that there has been both positive and negative feedback.

"People are asking us, 'Why are you spending so much time with cats and dogs'. But it's not a zero-sum game. There are people who are interested in coming forward to help and we can work with them," he said.

"It doesn't mean it detracts us from doing other things. But we have to bear in mind that, in society, there are different interest groups, and animal lovers have said: 'Well you're not moving fast enough.' So we'll do the best that we can."

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), for one, will be pushing this year for a law to ensure responsible pet ownership. This includes getting those under the age of 16 to obtain parental consent before they buy a pet.

This, as the Year of the Rabbit is about to end, and animal shelters having seen a 30-per-cent increase in the number of abandoned rabbits last year compared to 2010. The House Rabbit Society of Singapore, for instance, took in about 100 rabbits.

The SPCA takes in up to 600 unwanted or abandoned pets each month. Just on Christmas Eve, a Maltese dog was found abandoned in the SPCA's garden, one of many pets abandoned over the festive season. Another example was two cats found at a canal near the SPCA.

"Usually pet owners figure at (festive seasons) that they've had enough of the pet and they just want to get rid of the inconvenience," said SPCA executive director Corrine Fong.

The SPCA has also seen a 40-per-cent increase in the number of abandoned hamsters in the last six months. It says this is largely due to the easy availability of hamsters.

Besides ramping up its public education programmes, the SPCA wants pet shops to play a bigger role.

"Puppy mills need to microchip all their puppies and all their dogs, which they're not doing right now, and pet stores need to license their dogs at the point of sale, which many are also not doing," Ms Fong said.

"I'm hoping the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore will step up the pressure on them to do this, because under the pet shop licence conditions, pet stores must license their puppies at the point of sale."

Second forum on animal welfare policies
Straits Times 3 Jan 12;

A SECOND forum on animal-welfare policies will be held by the middle of this year, as a follow-up to the one held last June.

The forum will also pick up on the issues aired at the first forum, and examine the progress made since then.

Mr K. Shanmugam, a Member of Parliament of Nee Soon GRC, disclosed this on the sidelines of a dance competition held in Chong Pang Community Centre yesterday.

The MP, who is Minister for Law and for Foreign Affairs, had co-chaired the two-hour inaugural forum discussion with Mr Louis Ng, the executive director of Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres). About 400 people showed up.

Mr Shanmugam said the event had been organised in his constituency to showcase the possibilities of what can be done in a community.

Chong Pang is also where the first first community sterilisation programme for stray cats was launched.

Of the first forum, he said: 'We had a lot of feedback, very passionate. We took it up and we sliced the issues. Some of them I've dealt with and I've also organised meetings for Acres and the others.'

The response to the forum had been very good, he said, but negative feedback had also been received. Some quarters had asked why so much time was spent on cats and dogs, he said, but added that the event also uncovered many who were willing to help.

'It doesn't mean (dealing with animal-welfare policies) detracts us from doing other things, but we have to bear in mind that in society, there are different interest groups,' he said.

On the other hand, he also had animal groups chiming in to say that the Government was not moving fast enough on the issue, 'but we will do the best we can'.

Last year's forum covered domestic animals, wildlife and animals in the entertainment industry.

Mr Ng said the coming forum will give an update on suggestions made, and issues needing more work will be aired. 'Our main goal is to make members of the public who turned up feel that they have been engaged, and that their views have made a difference.'

MELISSA PANG

SPCA continues push for pet ownership law
Olivia Siong Channel NewsAsia 2 Jan 12;

SINGAPORE: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) says it will continue to push for a law to ensure responsible pet ownership. This includes getting those under 16 to obtain parental consent before they buy a pet.

The continued push for legislation comes as SPCA expects to see people abandon their pet rabbits ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year. The organisation tends to see an increase in the number of pets abandoned during festive seasons.

The SPCA takes in up to 600 unwanted or abandoned pets each month. It saw 7,509 pets being abandoned from June 2010 to July 2011.

On Christmas Eve just past, a Maltese dog was found abandoned in SPCA's garden. CCTV footage showed a woman walking into SPCA with the Maltese at about 9.40am and leaving a few minutes later without it.

The SPCA is seeking the assistance of a woman to help with investigations.

The SPCA says it does not have records of a Maltese being surrendered to the organisation, and that those who wish to surrender their pets to the SPCA have to complete a form before leaving the animals with SPCA.

The dog, estimated to be between six and eight years old, has since been renamed Christmas, and is being treated for a skin condition.

"Christmas" was one of many pets abandoned over the festive season.

Two cats, nicknamed Mojo and Jojo, were also found abandoned at a canal near SPCA.

Corrine Fong, executive director of the SPCA, said: "We're expecting some abandonments during Chinese New Year, (and the other festive seasons as they come along.) Spring cleaning is one of them. Usually pet owners figure at that point in time that they've had enough of the pet and they just want to get rid of the inconvenience. They just dump it at the SPCA or any other animal shelter."

SPCA has also seen a 40 per cent increase in the number of abandoned hamsters in the last six months. SPCA says this is largely due to the easy availability of hamsters.

Besides ramping up its public education programmes on responsible pet ownership, SPCA also wants pet shops to play a bigger role.

Ms Fong said: "Pet stores and puppy mills need to step up their responsibilities. Puppy mills need to microchip all their puppies and all their dogs, which they're not doing right now, and pet stores need to license their dogs at the point of sale, which many are also not doing at this point in time.

"I'm hoping the AVA (Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore) will step up the pressure on them to do this, because under the pet shop licence conditions, pet stores must license their puppies at the point of sale."

Meantime, abandoned pets like "Christmas" which require medical attention will be nursed back to health under foster care before being put up for adoption.

-CNA/ac

More bunnies abandoned as Rabbit Year nears end
Lim Wee Leng Channel NewsAsia 2 Jan 12;

SINGAPORE: The fad to own a rabbit for good luck appears to be dying, as the Year of the Rabbit comes to an end in about three weeks.

Animal shelters saw a 30 per cent increase in the number of abandoned rabbits in 2011 compared to the year before.

One shelter - the House Rabbits Society of Singapore - took in about 100 rabbits.

The number of people buying or adopting rabbits as pets surged in 2011, as the Chinese believe that these furry animals will bring them good luck and prosperity.

Pets are also dumped as quickly as they are bought, partly because of online shopping.

Online forums advertise pets for sale, promising minimal hassle. But once the novelty is gone, the pets end up on the streets or at the shelters.

-CNA/ac