Opening Remarks by MOS Tan Kiat How at the Opening of Centre for Animal Rehabilitation
Mar 31, 2022
Partners, community stakeholders, friends from the media,
Thank you for joining us this morning at the opening of the new Centre for Animal Rehabilitation.
Over the years, the Animal & Veterinary Service, or AVS, has worked closely with our stakeholders to raise animal health and welfare standards within the pet sector, and to safeguard public health more effectively. I thank the animal welfare groups, veterinarians, pet businesses, dog trainers and the community for their contributions.
One key area is in managing the stray animal population. Since 2018, we have been working closely with Animal Welfare Group partners on the Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage, or TNRM programme in short, to sustainably reduce the stray dog population in Singapore. Since the launch of the TNRM programme, public feedback on stray dogs has decreased by more than 60%.
Having fewer stray dogs on the streets eases the community’s concerns about the dogs’ welfare, as well as the potential risks to public safety and health. Under the TNRM programme, we target to sterilise 70% of stray dogs by next year. Efforts are also made to rehome as many of the sterilised dogs as possible.
We have also been enhancing our animal rehabilitation capabilities, which in turn help to improve rehoming outcomes. For example, during our attempts to rehome stray dogs, we found that some of the animals may not be accustomed to human contact. They show signs of anxiety and stress in unfamiliar surroundings.
To help stray dogs under our TNRM programme integrate successfully into their new homes, AVS has introduced a science-based rehabilitation programme, Project Rehab, since 2019. The programme focuses on upstream training and behaviour modification.
It has helped more than 70 stray dogs prepare for a life in a home setting.
Today, I’d like to share more about AVS’s efforts to manage and care for our community animals, which will be supported by the new Centre for Animal Rehabilitation.
Opening of the Centre for Animal Rehabilitation
This new centre builds on our existing efforts to enhance capabilities for animal rehabilitation. It will be Singapore’s first dedicated facility with specially designed features for animal behavioural rehabilitation. In designing the centre, we have taken on board learning points from the Project Rehab.
We have also consulted international experts on the rehabilitation of dogs. For example, the centre’s Visitor’s Lounge is designed to resemble the living and dining rooms of a home environment, so that dogs undergoing rehabilitation can adapt well, when they find new homes. The dog kennels are also designed to help the dogs adjust to a new environment. The kennels are built with noise-absorbing material, and are equipped with blinds, to reduce stress and improve the rehabilitation process for the dogs. We also have rooms designed for cats at the centre, where they can engage in activities to boost their well-being.
AVS will also continue to conduct research on animal rehabilitation techniques at the centre. We will focus on key areas such as rehabilitation interventions and shelter management, to build new capabilities in animal rehabilitation. Through the centre, AVS will also continue to partner stakeholders to bring more dogs from our streets into homes, and help them be rehomed successfully.
Community partnership and involvement
We would like to thank our community partners for working closely with us to improve the welfare of our community animals. By continually strengthening our community animal management and care capabilities, we can ensure better health and welfare for these animals.
To this end, I am happy to share that AVS will strengthen its partnership with the SPCA, through a pilot programme to review the post-rehabilitation process for stray dogs. AVS and SPCA will enhance the exchange of information on the animals’ behaviour and conditions, and improve how they work together to rehome and rehabilitate stray dogs.
AVS and SPCA will also conduct joint rehabilitation and training workshops, to raise the standards of care and training among volunteers and staff. We will share more details when ready.
All of us have a role to play in creating a more gracious society where we can co-exist harmoniously with animals. I would like to encourage stakeholders, pet owners and the wider community to contribute to these efforts – Instead of purchasing animals from a pet shop, consider adopting from an animal welfare group. The list of our rehoming partners can be found on the AVS website.
I also encourage the community to participate in our outreach and education events, including Pets’ Day Out, and our Science Behind Animal Behaviour webinar series, to learn more about our pets’ behavioural needs and best practices for training methods and animal care.
Thank you.