Pilot project to test managing stray dogs without culling

KENNETH CHENG Channel NewsAsia 6 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE — Stray dogs on Jurong Island will no longer be culled: Instead, they will be trapped, neutered and released back into their community as part of a pilot Trap-Neuter-Release-and-Manage (TNRM) programme launched on Thursday.

Announcing the trial project on his Facebook page yesterday, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said the programme involved managing the island’s stray-dog population without culling. “This is a trial project to try to see if we can avoid culling,” he wrote.

The programme traps the stray dogs, sterilises them, then returns them to the wild. The two-year trial is a partnership between JTC Corporation and three animal welfare groups: Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) and Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD).

ACRES chief executive Louis Ng said a 1,800sqm holding facility — comprising an on-site hospital, recovery room, assessment area, outdoor enclosures and an administrative office — has been built and funded by JTC.

The animal welfare groups are tapping their operational funds and hoping to raise money to finance the initiative, which can cost at least S$200,000, SOSD president Siew Tuck Wah said.

There are an estimated 300 stray dogs on Jurong Island, a marked increase from 2005, when there were about 50 to 70 dogs, ASD president Ricky Yeo said. “We are glad that … JTC is open to the idea,” he added.

Responding to media queries, JTC said it had been approached by a task force comprising the three animal welfare groups and that it had agreed to provide the space for them to set up the facility to carry out the programme.

The groups — which had been in discussions for almost a year with government agencies and Mr Shanmugam, a known advocate for animal welfare — praised the initiative as a significant development. They added that they hoped the trial, if successful, would be extended to other areas in Singapore.

Describing the project as a “very big step forward for the stray dogs” here, Mr Ng said: “For the first time, we are departing from the culling policy (for stray dogs).”

He added that the TNRM method had been successful in addressing the population of stray cats in the Chong Pang estate, which is under Mr Shanmugam’s watch.

It is hoped that the pilot will help reduce the stray-dog population on Jurong Island by 25 per cent in the first five years. Trappers will be hired on a contractual basis and veterinarians will be roped in to neuter the animals. About six veterinarians have agreed to be part of the project so far, the groups said.

Dr Siew said animal welfare groups have been using the TNRM method for decades, but that this pilot marked the first time a government agency has collaborated with welfare groups to do the same. “People who are advocates for stray dogs have been dreaming about this for decades,” he added.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority did not address the question on whether the TNRM programme would be extended to other parts of Singapore if the trial is successful. It stated that its priority was to ensure public safety and public health in the management of stray dogs. “Stray dogs, whether sterilised or not, can continue to pose a public-safety threat and hasten the spread of rabies,” it said.

The authority added that as the pilot initiative was an arrangement between JTC, Jurong Island tenants and the animal welfare groups, the parties involved would have to take the necessary precautions and be prepared for any public-safety and nuisance issues that may arise.

Official scheme to sterilise stay dogs begins
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 8 Dec 14;

Singapore has started its first official programme to sterilise stray dogs here, in a bid to control their numbers without culling.

The pilot project on Jurong Island, which has an estimated 300 stray dogs, was launched yesterday, with Law and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam as the guest of honour.

"Many of us are concerned about stray dogs in Singapore... and this is a trial project to see if we can avoid culling," said the dog lover in a Facebook post.

Jurong Island was chosen to test the "trap, neuter and release" method as it is a controlled environment where other stray dogs cannot get in or out, said animal welfare groups involved in the project.

Asked whether there are plans to expand the programme, they replied that it would depend on the results of the trial.

State industrial landlord JTC has built a facility on the island where the dogs will be sterilised, and it is also providing funding.

It is working with the following animal welfare groups: Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) and Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD).

Acres will manage the project, while ASD and SOSD will handle the day-to-day operations.

Acres executive director Louis Ng said the programme was a very big step forward for Singapore in its management of stray dogs.

"I hope this project shows that our society cares about the welfare of animals and also the safety of our residents," he said.

The project is expected to be more effective than culling.

In a note comparing the "trap, neuter and release" method with culling, Mr Shanmugam noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had found culling street dogs ineffective in controlling the spread of rabies.

Instead, the WHO said mass vaccination of a significant portion of street dogs has been proven to be a better way to prevent the disease's spread.

Neutered dogs are also less aggressive and more affectionate, and neutering results in fewer street dogs over time, according to Mr Shanmugam's post.

In contrast, "culling is indiscriminate, and the problem dog is seldom the dog that is caught". Street dogs also tend to breed and replace those that have been culled.

The neutering method has a one-time cost of about $1 million as the street dog population will naturally decline afterwards. In contrast, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority spends over $700,000 annually on culling.

Mr Shanmugam also posted photographs of the first female dog to be neutered under the programme.

"She is physically healthy after the neutering and (has been) micro-chipped, and happy to be back in familiar surroundings," he said.