TODAY Online Only - Kindness Movement? Let's start with strays
11:00 AM May 29, 2009
Letter from Mariann Maes
I refer to "A bouquet for SPCA" (May 28).
It was very heartwarming to have read Ms Shelby Doshi’s tribute to SPCA’s Mr Shankar for helping a kitten stuck in a drain. The only regret I have is that Mr Shankar probably would not be recognised at all by the Government to be playing a relevant role in our society.
In many developed countries like Australia and the United States, animal rescue units are set up with funding help from the government. Of course, animal rescues in these countries are more commonplace because of their natural demographic and widlife enviroments.
Nonetheless, Singapore also has its fair share of harrowing animal situations, except that these involve more dogs and cats than horses and goats. Sadly enough, without the focus by our government agencies such as the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), people in our society seem to care only for themselves. It would be completely unimaginable for an AVA or Civil Defence officer -- or indeed a typical Singaporean -- to climb a tree just to rescue a cat. Most people would just leave the animal alone.
Having publicly-funded and dedicated animal rescue units does not just benefit the creatures. Apart from expanding our local talent pool of veterinarians and animal specialists, caring for animals lays the foundation for loving fellow humans and the environment.
We must have spent a lot of taxpayers’ money and resources to on our kindness campaigns. Perhaps one unconventional approach is for us to start caring for stray and pet animals.
Kindness will naturally grow thereon. This would be the ideal mindset of a first world civic-minded society, as we have always claimed we are.
