Today: 23 May 2003

Dog’s life:

Public toilets, markets and coffee shops have been vying to display the ‘Singapore’s OK’ label to lure back customers, but the campaign could spell death for stray animals.

The Agrifood and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) told Today that “in line with the ‘Singapore’s OK’ campaign, town councils have intensified their rounding up of strays, especially in food centres and market places”.

The campaign was launched by the National Environment Agency (NEA) on May 6, but animal lovers began to suspect something was amiss when their furry friends stopped showing up at their regular haunts.

“We’ve been receiving numerous calls from volunteers about cats being removed from their area,” said Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Indeed, although culling is not officially stated as one of the ‘Singapore’s OK’ tactics, participating coffee shops are required to have a ‘pest control programme’ in place.

But, Mr Madhavan Kannan, head of AVA’s Centre for Animal Welfare and Control, said: “Everything is as normal. We are still putting down an average of 10 stray cats and dogs each per day.”

However, Ms Sharon Siow, a Metta Cattery volunteer, said the Jurong Town Council was seen loading five vans with stray dogs to be put down a few days ago.

The emphasis of the ‘Singapore’s OK’ campaign is on shared ownership of the environment between people.

But, Ms Siow said, “The environment does not belong to people alone.”

To date there has been no evidence linking the spread of Sars to animals.