Ms Tan Poh Hong (tan_poh_hong@ava.gov.sg)
Chief Executive Officer
Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA)
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 11:01 AM
Subject: Objection of Free Loan of Cat Trap & Free Euthanasia to Private Property Owners
Dear Ms Tan,
Objection of Free Loan of Cat Trap and Free Euthanasia of Cat to Private Property Owners
I am writing with regards to AVA's current practice of providing free loans of cat traps to private property owners, as well as the subsequent free euthanasia of captured cats to the said owners as well. I refer to your notice Ref no C/03 - http://internet-stg.ava.gov.sg/form/cat%20traps1.pdf
I would like to register my dismay and firm objection to this practice. As a tax-payer and a Singapore citizen, I find it abhorrent that such a practice is done at my expense without any agreement on my part. Leaving aside issues of whether euthanasia is a humane or cruel act, I am aghast that this practice is done at taxpayers' expense, when more cost-effective means of controlling populations of strays via the trap-neuter-return-maintain method are available.
While AVA has stated in your notice that "it is an offence to subject an animal to cruelty", the fact remains that because of the construction of these traps, it is not uncommon for animals to be injured (sometimes fatally) by the traps themselves.
I have also encountered instances of these traps used by individuals who left the cat and trap in the sun, thus subjecting the animal to immense discomfort and could be construed as cruelty inflicted to the said animal. Please see this link on Facebook for more information:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=165907&id=185453072387#/album.php?aid=165907&id=185453072387
I would strongly urge AVA to take into account the unhappiness and grievances of taxpayers and citizens opposed to this practice of free loans of cat traps and euthanasia. While I fully agree that the population of strays should be controlled, I feel that we should pay heed to research and studies proving that culling results in a vacuum effect in the population, and engenders new stray colonies to move into the same space.
Rather, AVA's funds would be better utilised for proper control of stray populations via sterilisation efforts. AVA should reconsider reinstating the practice of offering free - if not subsidised - sterilisation of stray animals, a method which has time and time again proven to be effective at maintaining and reducing population of stray animals.
Thank you for your kind attention and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours faithfully,
ML
