Speech by MOS Tan Kiat How at the Launch of the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation
Feb 25, 2022
Thank you for joining us this morning at the opening of the new Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation.
Singapore is a small city-state, at only 728 sq km in size. Yet, we are home to a wide variety of wildlife – with more than 400 bird species and 70 species of land mammals – And, a significant population of some critically endangered species such as the Singapore Freshwater Crab and the charismatic Straw-headed Bulbul can be found here.
Living close to nature brings about many benefits to our daily lives, such as improving our mental and physical well-being, and providing us access to nature-based recreation. But this also means that we will encounter wildlife more frequently, and we will need to learn to co-exist with them. Indeed, from time to time, there have been run-ins with wildlife like otters, long-tailed macaques, crocodiles, hornbills and wild boars. We will have to manage these interactions well and to minimise conflicts.
To achieve this, we take a community and science-based approach towards wildlife management. Through the use of science, we can better understand wildlife behaviour, and design more targeted and effective strategies to co-exist in harmony with our wildlife. For example, through population surveys and research, we can better understand the population distribution of our wildlife such as macaques and otters. This helps us identify potential hotspots for human-wildlife encounters, and guides our mitigation and management efforts, such as removing their food sources.
As part of our efforts, we also work closely with our community partners, government agencies, academics, non-governmental organisations, and animal working groups like the Otter Working Group and Long-tailed Macaque Working Group – some of whom are here with us today. Their strong support has helped us develop and implement more effective strategies to manage our wildlife population, including our efforts in wildlife rescue, release, and rehabilitation. A big thank you for all your contributions.
Today, I’d like to share more about our ongoing efforts to manage and conserve our wildlife in Singapore.
Opening of Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation
First, we make good use of science and technology, and collaborate with local wildlife experts to rescue and rehabilitate our wildlife, before releasing them back to their habitats. Some of these creatures may be injured, or in distress, after wandering into unfamiliar environments, such as our urban areas and residences. As a result, these wild animals may feel lost and threatened, and become more aggressive and hostile. This may potentially pose a public safety risk. To manage this, we have put in place a robust wildlife management framework, where we work closely with partners such as ACRES and Mandai Wildlife Group, to rescue our wildlife, including mammals, reptiles, and birds, that were found in these situations.
The new Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation will build on such wildlife management and conservation work, and support our efforts in tackling illegal wildlife trade. The Centre will feature enhanced systems and equipment, as well as new facilities for quarantine, treatment, and surgery. We have also carefully designed the housing facilities to replicate the natural environment of the various animals as much as possible. This includes having climbing structures and perches for animals such as civets and primates, as well as using natural bedding and feeding techniques to encourage foraging.
These measures will increase our capabilities in providing veterinary care and rehabilitation for wild animals in Singapore, which will contribute towards their conservation. And, they will also allow us to house the exotic wildlife species that we take into custody as part of our enforcement against illegal wildlife trade activities, and care for them while the proceedings take place. We will continue to build our capabilities in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, to complement the work and expertise of our partners at ACRES and Mandai Wildlife Group, and enhance our collaboration with them.
Ongoing Work on Enhancing Biosurveillance and Upskilling the Wildlife Management Industry
Through the Centre, we are also enhancing our biosurveillance capabilities. Animals admitted to the Centre will be examined and tested for diseases of animal and public health importance, such as avian flu. The results gathered will then be analysed, and used to guide our animal disease prevention measures, such as our vaccination programmes for animals. The Centre will complement our existing facilities such as the Animal Quarantine Centre, which was opened last November, to better monitor and prevent animal diseases from being introduced into Singapore. Together, these efforts will help us identify potential animal disease threats in advance, and manage them to safeguard animal and public health.
Beyond these efforts, we are also working with the industry to build capabilities and to equip workers with the necessary animal handling skills. Two years ago, we launched the Animal Management Professional Certification Programme, to raise industry standards in wildlife management. We have also made it compulsory under the Wildlife Act for every wildlife management company to have at least one of their supervisors attend and complete this training course by NParks, before they are allowed to conduct any wildlife management operations. This will ensure that their operations are carried out in a manner that safeguards worker and public safety, as well as animal welfare.
I am encouraged that over 190 individuals across 48 companies have been trained, since the launch of our Animal Management Professional Certification Programme. So far, we have received good feedback from the industry – that the training has allowed them to perform their work more safely and humanely, and with greater confidence.
The new Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation will serve as an important training facility to support these efforts. For example, at the new Centre, workers from the companies will be trained on wildlife handling during their courses. They can also return subsequently to attend refresher courses, to stay updated on best practices in wildlife handling. We hope that companies and workers in the wildlife management industry will explore these courses, and equip themselves with the latest practices and wildlife handling skills.
Community Partnership and Engagement
We will continue to actively involve the community on various fronts, as we strengthen our efforts in wildlife management and conservation. Just last week, I shared insights from our public consultation for the ongoing review of the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act. I would like to thank the public for your support and feedback once again, which will help us in further combatting the illegal wildlife trade and protecting our endangered species.
We have also embarked on a study with the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University for Technology and Design (SUTD) to gather insights on our public’s perceptions of wildlife. This will enhance our understanding and guide the development of strategies to manage human-wildlife encounters. We will share more details when ready.
All of us can also play our part to live in harmony with wildlife. I would like to invite stakeholders, and the wider community, to get involved in these efforts – through participating in our outreach and education events, including our guided walks and surveys on wildlife management. Or, in our daily lives, to avoid feeding wildlife, keeping our residential areas clean, and appreciating wildlife from a safe distance. Together, we can foster a more gracious and caring society, where human and wildlife can co-exist harmoniously, as we transform into a City in Nature.
Thank you.