NEWS
ACRES IN THE NEWS
____________________________________________________________________
The Straits Times
15 November 2004
Animal rights group should get focus right
I refer to the articles “$1,000 reward for info on illegally kept tiger and bear” (ST, Nov 9).
The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), a local animal rights group, has offered the princely sum of $1,000 for information on a tiger or sun bear believed to be kept locally.
That Acres is willing to fork out so much money for information on two animals shows it cares about issues such as illegal keeping of endangered animals listed by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).
Its efforts to find these animals are undeniably well meant. But how will they help endangered species?
The freeing of one tiger or one sun bear – and these are rumours Acres cannot confirm – will not help the animal population as a whole. How will the heroic “rescue” of these animals from the hands of their keepers help save these species from extinction?
In many cases, wild animals reared in captivity are unable to adapt to life in the wild. If Acres wants to find these animals so it can return them to the wild, perhaps it is labouring under a misapprehension. It will mean having to go through a great deal of red tape and rehabilitation, which is likely to stress the animals out. It is also doubtful whether the Singapore Zoo has enough resources to cope with an additional tiger or sun bear.
While it is an issue that cannot be ignored, the most pressing problem does not lie in saving exotic animals supposedly kept in brutal conditions.
Here again, Acres assumes the owners do not know how to care properly for exotic animals in captivity. But if keepers overseas in places like Europe can take good care of exotic pets, why can’t Singaporean keepers do the same (even if it’s on the sly)?
No, what is important is to ensure these animals do not leave their native countries in the first place, so they cannot be sold to the pet and fur trade. Legislation and monitoring are needed urgently at the source of these wild animals, not where they are kept illegally. Conserving their natural habitat is paramount to their survival, and patrolling these reserves to ensure no illegal poaching occurs is just as important.
This can be done by setting up and monitoring wildlife reserves – which has been done successfully in places like Borneo – and founding captive breeding programmes to ensure the continued survival of species on the brink of extinction.
Unfortunately, these measures are often required most in impoverished countries such as Madagascar, where corruption and government policies have taken a toll on the rich biodiversity originally present, allowing for rampant trade in black markets that deal with Cites-listed species.
It is thus up to private organisations like Acres to help protect endangered species in these countries.
One cannot help but wonder if this precious $1,000 (which has been upped to a larger sum, one hears) would be better spent on conservation programmes that actually focus on saving the species and their natural habitat – and not the individual animals involved.
As can be seen from the $1,000 reward, Acres has resources to make a difference and relieve the plight of endangered animals. It is a pity Acres and its volunteers do not seem to concentrate their efforts where they are needed most.
.........................................................................................................................................................