The art of getting heard
Why animal welfare groups in Singapore can't reach out to the authorities
TODAY
Friday • November 4, 2005
Goh Boon Choo
IN Singapore, animal cruelty reports precipitate letters in the media calling for harsher punishment, tougher laws and stringent enforcement.
The authorities then issue sympathetic responses, explaining their stand and that they "will not hesitate to take strong action" against perpetrators — but stop short of committing to firmer penalties.
In a reply published in Today in June, the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said: "While we may not be able to adopt all the suggestions by the (letter) writers, we will definitely take these suggestions into consideration when we review our rules."
So it was too, when news of Max, the Alaskan Malamute, broke in August. For fatally neglecting him, Max's owner, Lim Bee Leong, was fined $3,000.
Singaporeans wrote letters and signed an online petition for stiffer punishment.
The persistent calls for tougher enforcement are a symptom of the gap between public disapproval of animal cruelty and official policies.
People understand that animal cruelty concerns society at large.
Nine in 10 respondents believe "we have a moral duty to minimise suffering", according to the results of an Asian survey commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, presented in March.
In July last year, a local newspaper reported that culling costs for 2003 rose 20 per cent. That year, AVA cancelled its five-year-old Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme (SCRS), following the Sars scare.
Eighty per cent of readers surveyed objected to AVA's annual $600,000 culling bill, and more than half felt funds should go to animal welfare groups to re-home or sterilise strays.
Animal welfare groups play an important role in raising awareness and rallying like-minded citizens. But they seem unable to engage the authorities to the extent their counterparts elsewhere do.
The Humane Society of the United States collaborated with a senator to successfully lobby for an end to horse-slaughter for food exports. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, it secured senators' sponsorship of its proposal to change evacuation policies to include refugees' pets.
The disparity may be due to cultural mindset and maturity of the political system — but in comparison, Singapore's welfare groups are often left reacting to policy changes.
For instance, the Cat Welfare Society championed in vain for the continuation, then reinstatement, of the SCRS.
In fact, AVA's own case study of the SCRS in Bukit Merah View (since been removed from the AVA website) proved the scheme's effectiveness over culling. Tellingly, part of that study's conclusion was that "sterilisation and responsible management has the support of up to 96 per cent of the public. The majority want cats controlled but do not want them culled".
Another example is the Action for Singapore Dogs' (ASD) proposal to the HDB. It suggested easing HDB's rule on dog breeds, to widen the adoption pool for larger dogs, as temperament rather than size determines a breed's suitability for flat-living. Despite volunteering to monitor trial adoptions, ASD's proposal fell through.
Since collaboration is not welcomed, groups have to try to involve themselves indirectly.
For example, a US group, pet-abuse.com, produced a training film on investigating animal cruelty and successful deterrent sentencing. Targeted at police and prosecutors, the film's distribution has widened beyond America.
Welfare groups also need to be politically savvy: Identify and initiate contact with foresighted officials, as it seems change is possible only from within officialdom.
In recent months, readers have written in urging for a rethink on current laws, legislative support for pet ownership (for example compulsory microchipping) and cooperation between AVA and welfare groups to design humane and effective solutions to issues conventional policies cannot address, such as stray culling and unregulated pet breeding.
So far, the authorities have issued the standard responses.
The equation between public opinion and official stance is a skewed one.
Still, if only extreme cruelty cases compel Singapore to react, it would reflect poorly on our collective compassion.
There will always be another Max, but instead of decrying lax enforcement or incongruent penalties after the fact, Singapore should minimise the number of Maxes by deterring the potential Lim Bee Leongs.
This necessitates paradigm shifts, but to effectively address prevalent problems, the authorities must include Singaporeans and the welfare groups more thoroughly in its policy formulation process.
The writer is an analyst concerned with animal and environmental issues
