Singaporeans speak out to save animal shelter

Asian Economic News, Jan 24, 2000

SINGAPORE, Jan. 19 Kyodo

A sanctuary for homeless cats and dogs in danger of being shut down is pulling the heartstrings of thousands of Singaporeans who have signed a petition asking the government to leave the shelter alone.

Noah's Ark Lodge, Singapore's only animal shelter, is in trouble with the Primary Production Department (PPD), Singapore's animal and plant control agency, over its tenancy.

Owner Raymund Wee has been given an ultimatum to close the shelter he has been running for the past seven years by Feb. 16.

More than 450 cats and dogs at the shelter, most of them abandoned pets or strays picked up from the streets, now face a gloomy future in a city state where strays are regularly impounded and killed by the authorities.

The trouble erupted mainly because Wee's friend, who leased the land from the PPD, has decided to give it up when the tenancy expires next month.

Wee is a subtenant who got the land from his friend, but the PPD has decided to allocate the land to the highest bidder in an open tender after the tenancy expires.

The site is also slated for redevelopment as a housing estate in two years.

Wee, a 51-year-old animal lover, is vehement about not budging from the land and has been openly critical of the government for its lack of sympathy in forcing him to shut the shelter down.

And ordinary Singaporeans have proved much more sympathetic to the plight of Noah's Ark Lodge. More than 20,000 have signed a petition to save the shelter, via Noah Ark's Internet site.

A flight steward for 17 years before he went into the dog grooming and boarding business, Wee has been running the lodge with the help of volunteers and support from the public. He says he also pumps all the income from his dog grooming and boarding business at the lodge into the shelter.

"Right now, it's a nightmare. It's like fighting for independence -- independence for the animals," he said, when interviewed at the lodge, surrounded by dozens of dogs.

"If we succeed, animals will be treated fair and well, and our society will be gracious. If we lose this battle...it will be history."

Some of the animals are there for paid boarding, but about 60 % of them have been abandoned by their owners or were strays, he said.

There are also many whose owners never returned for their pets after sending them for grooming or temporary boarding, he said. He has also found dogs left at the gate of the lodge and other dogs that are there because their owners were forced to give them up because they had outgrown the small apartments where many Singaporeans live.

Most people left their pets simply because they cannot bear to send them to the government agency in charge of animals, fearing the pets would be killed.

The majority of Singaporeans live in Housing Development Board apartments where only small breeds of dogs are allowed and cats are not allowed at all.

But many Singaporeans still keep pets on the quiet and usually have no problems as long as their neighbors do not complain.

The sanctuary, occupying about 5 acres (234 ares) of land in the northeastern corner of the island, has a rural aura about it, which is a haven in the bustling city state.

One of the inhabitants is an aging but noble Great Dane, which has a bad leg due to years of being cramped up in a cage in a pet shop.

"Many of these dogs are from the streets, thrown away by people. How are you going to ask me to find homes for them? They are mongrels, nobody wants them. People only want to have a cute one," Wee said.

Asked about an offer from the authorities to help him find alternative homes for the animals, he said, "You mean they can find homes for them when they themselves are killing so many animals?"

About 6,000 cats and 5,000 dogs were caught by the authorities last year, and almost all were put down.

Goh Shih Yong, a PPD spokesman, said Wee is welcome to bid on the tenancy when the land comes up for bid and, if he does, the department will allow him to stay until the tenders are decided, even if that is after Feb. 16.

If Wee does not bid, he must move by Feb. 16.

It often takes several weeks to several months to decide bids.