Local charity launches Singapore's first dedicated wildlife
rescue centre
SINGAPORE : More efforts are being made to tackle the
illegal wildlife trade in Singapore, which is surpassed only by the
trafficking of drugs and weapons.
A new shelter aims to rescue distressed animals and return them to
their native homes.
"Blue", a Vervet monkey, is the inspiration for setting up
Singapore's first dedicated wildlife rescue centre.
Six years ago, Blue was kept illegally as a pet at a house. But
thanks to the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society
(ACRES), Blue became Singapore's first-ever primate to be
repatriated home to Zambia.
ACRES hopes Blue's story is only the beginning of more successful
rescue efforts.
More than 9,000 animals were seized in the last three
years.
At ACRES' newly-launched Wildlife Rescue Centre at Chua Chu Kang,
protected species found will be nursed back to health, before being
returned to their native environment.
However, it is not just about tackling the illegal wildlife trade.
ACRES also wants to educate the public on protecting animals and
the environment.
"Penny" has a deformed hind leg. Penny would have been put down by
the puppy farm she was brought from if ACRES had not rescued her
and cared for her.
Penny is now the centre's mascot for education, which ACRES
believes is key to ending animal cruelty and illegal wildlife
trade.
The charity has worked closely with schools and community groups
since 2001. ACRES' education programmes, reaching over 100,000
children and adults every year, encourage compassion and
responsible behaviour. It has worked with 83 schools since
2001.
Louis Ng, executive director of ACRES said: "Most importantly, what
we want to do at the ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre is to create
awareness, which is why the first block you see at the entrance is
the Lee Foundation Education Centre.
"It is not just about rescuing the animals; it's really about
creating awareness, getting the public involved, getting them
interested about this issue. Now we have 18,000 supporters in our
database. Is that a sign of progress in Singapore? Without a doubt
it is."
Progress did not come easy for ACRES. The building of the centre's
main sanctuary area has been delayed because of a pending court
decision on a pollution lawsuit.
It has been delayed for about two years and will be delayed by at
least another six months. Its contractor had allegedly dumped
woodchips onto the site, which caused the discharge of wastewater
into a channel linked to the Kranji reservoir.
ACRES is awaiting the decision of the judge on whether the main
contractor and its director are liable to ACRES in this
regard.
When completed, the centre can hold up to 400 rescued wildlife,
including reptiles, primates and native birds. Pets like dogs will
be handed over to other organisations like the SPCA.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/448631/1/.html