Singapore’s First Wildlife Rescue Center

Amy Corrigan and Louis Ng, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES)
December 2006

Singapore will soon see its very first wildlife rescue center. This new facility is being built by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), an animal welfare charity based in Singapore, and will begin operations in April 2007. The ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre (AWRC) will occupy two hectares (five acres) and will provide a safe haven for more than 400 wild animals rescued from illegal trade, potentially including primates (such as gibbons, macaques, and lorises), marsupials, reptiles, small ungulates, and small carnivores. The AWRC will also help to end the cruel trafficking in rare species by serving as an educational facility for the public. With the assistance of volunteers, ACRES plans to use the center to generate increased awareness of the impact of the illegal wildlife trade—and to help create a more caring and compassionate society.

Singapore a hub of wildlife trafficking

Illicit wildlife trafficking is rampant in Southeast Asia, with an active trade in many species of wild animals for their meat, for their body parts to be used in traditional medicines, and for supplying the exotic pet trade. The trade in wild animals for pets is especially wasteful—resulting in the deaths of millions of animals every year during capture and transport—and inflicts extreme suffering on the animals involved. More than half of the animals smuggled to supply exotic pets will die. Those that survive commonly end up living in totally unsuitable conditions and may even be subjected to neglect or mistreatment at the hands of ignorant owners.

In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in the illegal trade in protected species of wild animals and plants. In Singapore, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has stepped up its enforcement efforts, leading to the confiscation of an increasing number of illegally traded animals. More than 4,000 animals have been seized from dealers and private homes in the last five years in Singapore; many of these cases were investigated as a direct result of calls to the ACRES Wildlife Crime Hotline or following ACRES undercover investigations.

Need for center becoming urgent

The Singapore Zoo has previously been used as the main housing area for confiscated animals. However, the zoo announced earlier this year that they are now full. Consequently, most confiscated animals are currently either sent to inappropriate facilities or euthanized. There is therefore an urgent need to provide an appropriate home for these animals. In addition, confiscated animals are typically subjected to severe stress: from their point of capture, to their inhumane transport, to their inappropriate holding conditions. The AWRC will provide such animals with an ideal environment in which to rest and recuperate. Wherever possible, ACRES will seek to repatriate animals back to reputable sanctuaries in their country of origin. However, for those animals who cannot be repatriated, the AWRC will serve as a permanent home.

New center will also educate

There is also a need to create awareness amongst Singaporeans about the detrimental effects of the illicit wildlife trade. A nationwide survey by ACRES in 2005 found one in five pet shops in Singapore illegally selling prohibited wild animals. It has become apparent that many Singaporeans buy these animals without knowing that it is illegal to keep them or that their pets have been obtained through a cruel black market, thus unwittingly contributing to this unlawful and wasteful trade.

In its capacity as an educational facility, the AWRC will provide information regarding which species are protected, which are prohibited as pets in Singapore, and the reasons behind these designations. This educational aspect of the AWRC will ultimately move us one step closer towards ending the illegal wildlife trade.

The AWRC will also aim to engage Singaporeans in taking a more proactive role in tackling animal protection problems of national and global concern. By inviting Singaporeans to help out at the center, the AWRC will serve as a platform to promote volunteerism and provide local people with a hands-on opportunity to promote the well-being of animals. This will encourage Singaporeans to play an active role in the animal protection movement and to take responsibility for and ownership of the future of wild animals in Singapore and throughout the region.

ACRES: A history of pro-wildlife activities

Established in 2001 by a group of Singaporeans, ACRES has been tackling the illegal wildlife trade in Singapore ever since, and our work has resulted in numerous positive developments for animals caught up in this trafficking. Just a few months ago, after years of campaigning by ACRES, the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act was dramatically improved. Fines for the smuggling and possession of species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) were increased from S$5,000 (US$3,200) per species to S$50,000 (US$32,000) per animal. The jail term was also doubled to two years’ imprisonment.

In addition, our undercover operations have highlighted the ongoing illegal trade in bear parts, tiger parts, and live reptiles for the illicit pet trade. This has led to prosecutions of importers, traders, and buyers in Singapore.

ACRES operates the 24-hour ACRES Wildlife Crime Hotline, which provides a means of blowing the whistle on anyone who buys, owns, or trades in exotic species. To date, the work of ACRES has led to the rescue of more than 160 animals.

Our efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade also include an extensive nationwide public awareness campaign, through which we educate people about the wildlife trade and its dire impacts on the animals involved. Public roadshows, advertisements in the local media, and talks and exhibitions at schools are all part of a strategy to achieve the main aim of ACRES: to foster compassion and respect for all animals.

Our work has given two primates a second chance at life. Both were rescued by ACRES from being kept illegally as pets in Singapore. Blue, a vervet monkey, and Asha, a rhesus macaque, have been repatriated to sanctuaries in Zambia and India, respectively. Blue has re-integrated back into vervet monkey society and now has a girlfriend named Kathy! In addition, Angelina, a baby long-tailed macaque rescued by ACRES, is now living with other long-tailed macaques and is set to be released back into the wild in Singapore.

ACRES has already secured a piece of land for the AWRC and is in urgent need of funds for the construction of the facility. Please help us make a difference in the lives of animals rescued from Singapore’s illegal wildlife trade. To donate or find out more about the AWRC, log on the ACRES Web site (www.ACRES.org.sg).

ACRES would like to express our sincere appreciation to the International Primate Protection League for providing us a grant to be used towards the initial phase of the construction of the AWRC.