Dear Ms Tan,
I am a member of the public and also an avid animal lover. As you are no doubt aware, there is currently a lot of buzz and negativity directed at AVA in the various social media groups about the current policy and stance towards stray dogs and cats. I am sure you are sick to the bone about hearing about how culling isn't the solution to the problem and whilst I agree with that, I believe there is no point in me rehashing the reasons why.
What I do take issue with is the manner in which animals are caught. Everyone is aware that AVA still engages Francis Lim despite having fined him for his cruel methods of animal entrapment Whilst you may think that Francis is effective in what he does, has AVA bothered to consider if the manner of doing so is acceptable. Various volunteers have on recent occasion intercepted Francis and AVA officers in their attempts to trap stray dogs. Some of these have been caught on video and are making its rounds across the web. Some of these also show AVA officers threatening members of the public.
Telling members of the public that feeding strays is illegal is misconceived. Telling members of the public they are not allowed to film AVA officers in action is also misconceived, for there is no law against filming someone in a public space. To have your AVA officers threaten members of the public on these grounds serves to reinforce the public's perception of AVA, that it is uncaring, non-transparent and very condescending towards the public.
Another point of contention is the inaction on the part of AVA in clear-cut animal abuse cases. We have not seen AVA lift a finger concerning the 2 puppies which were brutally killed at Bukit Batok. We have not seen AVA do anything about the pomeranian which was savagely bashed to death in a HDB estate, an act which was witnessed by the public. Where is AVA when you need them? Are the lives of stray dogs so meaningless, that they do not warrant protection? Should the same be said of vagrants living amongst us? Should the government find ways to get rid of them, so that the world at large would view us as a squeaky clean first world nation with no poverty and beggars?
To add insult to injury, well-meaning dog lovers and animal welfare groups have been scrambling to collect funds with one objective in mind, to free the strays caught by AVA, the same strays which these people are trying their very best to rehome. For the last few years, i've heard about the sort of charges involved in freeing just one animal. The costs are astronomical, especially when you consider and trace the background how how these funds came to be. AVA knows full well that these people aren't the owners, that the dogs and cats are strays. So why does AVA still insist on slapping fines for "straying" and for "having an unlicensed dog". If AVA wants to charge for licensing and boarding, I have no issue with this, but to impose fines for straying and having an unlicensed dog couple with GST is ludicrous especially when AVA knows full well these guys aren't the owners. This sort of behaviour on AVA's part probably disgusts me the most. It would appear to me that when AVA is not killing, it is "making a killing". I have attached a copy of a receipt issued by AVA last year for your information.
I lost faith in AVA many years ago and it appears that i'm not alone. This explains why there is an increasingly campaign against AVA amongst members of the public and the several animal welfare groups. If AVA is unable to show a committment towards doing the right thing and is unwilling to work with these groups and people, then you will see an increasing movement working against AVA. Perhaps we will never have the sort of resources AVA has, but we have the will, the tenacity and most importantly, the heart to do the right thing.
Yours truly,
Russel Low
