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JUNE 6, 2003 I WOULD like to express my thanks to Ong Soh Chin for her article Cull Of The Wild (Life!, May 31). As a cat lover, I felt a little consoled after reading her article, as it decribed exactly my feelings on the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore's (AVA) latest actions against stray cats. It has indeed been very stressful and disappointing for my family as we have been brought up to love animals whether they are cats, dogs or birds; strays or pets. The senseless killing of these helpless creatures is uncalled for, given how there is no concrete evidence that all cats carry the Sars virus and that it is highly unlikely for the virus to be passed to humans even if some do. Despite so much protest from animal lovers in Singapore, the authorities haven't paid heed and this further aggravates our feelings of helplessness. They seem to be giving animal-haters a reason to stand up and voice their desire for all animals (in particular, stray cats) to be eradicated from Singapore. Our children need to learn how to respect animals as living things and how to care for them and appreciate them as creatures who have as equal a right as we do to exist.
LENA WONG Copyright @ 2003 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. |