Singapore Snippets
Discovering Items of interest on the red dot by Marta Ferrer Lubeck Singapore is one of the greenest cities in the world, and its City in Nature vision aims to bring people closer to nature. But what happens when wild animals enter human living spaces? People often react in one of three ways: they panic, they don’t know what to do, or they dispose of animals in a cruel way.
a hotline where people call in wildlife sightings. I hear about the status of all cases, then we get in the van and go do everything from placing baby birds back in the tree, to picking up injured animals, to getting monitor lizards and snakes out of people’s houses or trapped in a pipe.”
The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, or ACRES, was created in 2001 to promote compassion for all animals and to educate people on lifestyle choices that do not involve the abuse of animals. ACRES collaborates with NParks and other organizations to protect wildlife and to educate the public.
ACRES has first aid and rehabilitation stations to treat animals—primarily birds—when they are brought in, and a veterinarian performs surgeries and treatments as needed. ACRES has a few incubators for birds whose inner temperature has dropped and are at risk of hypothermia. When the animals’ health improves, they are placed in
Anbarasi Boopal and Laurie Day at ACRES
Shuku, a Recovering House Crow
I visited ACRES and met with Co-CEO Anbarasi Boopal (Anbu), and with Laurie Day, an AWA member and ACRES volunteer, to learn about their work with the organization. Laurie has been a volunteer for over three and a half years. She is a part of the ACRES rescue team and goes to schools, residences, and construction areas where wild animals are sighted. She explains: “We have
A Recovering Duckling 18
AWA Magazine July/August 2022
temporary cages and moved outdoors during daytime. Fruits are hung on a makeshift branch in the cage to simulate trees. Due to limited staff and resources, not all injured animals can be brought into ACRES for treatment. Laurie elaborates: “We want every animal we rescue to be an animal that we can treat, rehabilitate, and release. The vet assesses the animal and will tell us if it has a chance to survive. ACRES has to make this ethical choice based on the likelihood of an animal surviving in the wild.” Anbu has been with ACRES for 15 years, and her responsibilities include managing the education department and the animal crime investigation unit— which tackles issues related to the illicit trade of animals and animal parts, as well as cruelty to animals. She notes that ACRES officers are very good at educating people and putting them at ease. The rescuers talk about the animal and emphasize that if someone sees wildlife, they should not panic. “When people panic, they don’t think straight and do the wrong thing. What breaks the first barrier is when people see that our rescuers are trained and can handle the animals,” says Anbu.
