NEWS
ACRES IN THE NEWS
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Channel NewsAsia
11 October 2006
Wildlife rescue centre to be set up by April next year
By Asha Popatlal
SINGAPORE: It looks like there may be hope for animals caught in the cross-fire of illegal wildlife trade in Singapore, when the country's first wildlife rescue centre is set up by April next year.
In the past five years, more than 4,000 wild animals have been seized from dealers and private homes in Singapore .
A random survey of 100 pet shops by local animal welfare charity, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, or ACRES, last year found 20 of them selling prohibited wild animals illegally.
ACRES says the problem is two-fold. One is ignorance.
"A lot of Singaporeans buy these animals ignorantly, without knowing they're illegal to keep," said Louis Ng, Executive Director, ACRES.
The other problem is that because Singapore is so well-connected to the rest of the world, it is often used as a mid-point for the illegal smuggling of wildlife.
According to ACRES, part of the problem is the inhumane way in which these animals are smuggled.
ACRES hopes setting up a wildlife rescue centre at a two-hectare site in Sungei Tengah will help.
For one thing, it can also be a place for animals to rest, before being repatriated to their native countries, failing which it can also be a permanent home for them. Currently, many are euthanised or sent to inappropriate places.
The centre, which will be able to accommodate up to 400 animals, will start guided tours and overnight stays for students and members of the public.
It has another important aim.
"It will be an educational centre so that people can come and see that these are the animals that are commonly illegally traded. If they go into a pet shop, don't buy these animals and ... report the pet shops. So ultimately, this educational aspect will break the cycle and move us one step closer to ending this illegal wildlife trade in Singapore," said Mr Ng.
Students from Admiralty Secondary School are the first to partner ACRES in this project.
Legislation on the wild life trade in Singapore was tightened early this year, after intense lobbying efforts.
ACRES needs to raise just over a million dollars for building and running its centre for a year.
So far, they have raised $30,000. More information on fund-raising can be found at www.acres.org.sg
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