Speech by 2M Indranee Rajah at Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) Gala Dinner

May 18, 2024

A very good evening to everyone. It gives me great pleasure to see you here this evening, to support what is a wonderful cause.

ACRES’s Contributions to the Wildlife Sector

This year marks ACRES’ 23rd anniversary, and over the years, ACRES has been a passionate champion of our wildlife in Singapore – you give a voice to the voiceless, our wildlife. ACRES staff and volunteers manage your 24-hour hotline, to help stranded wildlife, and to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife.

As we strive to transform Singapore into a City in Nature, weaving nature more deliberately into our urban fabric, and bringing nature closer to our everyday lives, we must learn to co-exist with our wildlife. In this regard, the work that organisations like ACRES does in reaching out to the community and engaging Singaporeans is very important to promote safer and more responsible human-wildlife encounters.

Notably, “Our Wild Neighbours”, the nation-wide outreach initiative to promote human-wildlife coexistence, commemorated its second anniversary last month. Started by multiple stakeholders, including ACRES, NParks and Mandai Wildlife Group, the initiative has reached out to over 22,000 individuals since 2022. I would like to thank Mandai Nature for your generosity in extending the funding for this campaign for another two years, and commend ACRES for their efforts in running and managing the campaign to educate all in Singapore on wildlife etiquette and raise much needed awareness on ongoing rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

ACRES’s work has also benefitted our students, who carry out research work or empower themselves in advocacy work through internships and student projects. Over the past year, ACRES has mentored over 100 youth projects on animal protection issues. For example, ACRES provides guidance to primary and secondary schools on student-led outreach projects, supporting students in raising awareness of animal welfare issues on campus.

All these efforts play a crucial role in fostering greater awareness and appreciation for our local biodiversity, and contributes towards our City in Nature vision.

ACRES’s Partnership with NParks

Over the years, ACRES has been a valued partner to NParks. First, ACRES is an active member of several wildlife working groups, where we jointly develop strategies for the conservation and management of species such as otters, pythons, and long-tailed macaques. Second, ACRES provides feedback on environmental studies for development projects, sharing helpful insights on wildlife connectivity and the mitigation of human-wildlife conflict. Third, ACRES and NParks engage the community on wildlife issues and promote more positive human-wildlife relationships. In particular, ACRES and NParks work closely to provide targeted assistance for local communities that may be affected by wildlife issues. Some examples include outreach talks at residential estates next to nature areas, door-to-door engagements and monkey guarding training workshops.

Another area that ACRES also works closely with NParks on is efforts to improve animal welfare standards. Most recently, NParks and ACRES worked with the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Singapore Pest Management Association (SPMA) to review the guidelines for the use of glue traps to better ensure that non-target animals will not be trapped, and that appropriate measures are taken to respond to trapped animals.

Beyond these efforts, NParks also partners ACRES to combat illegal wildlife trade. ACRES’ animal crime investigation unit collaborates with NParks’ wildlife trade team, by sharing information and supporting investigations into wildlife-related crimes.

Conclusion

In closing, I would like to thank ACRES for your strong commitment and contributions to Singapore’s wildlife sector, and for being a valued partner to NParks.

I would also like to commend ACRES’ dedicated team of staff and volunteers, who clock over 18,000 hours of work for our wildlife annually; as well as all donors for their generosity in supporting our wildlife.

Please donate generously tonight to support ACRES’ fundraising efforts. Have an enjoyable evening ahead. Thank you very much.