Feature Interview

Kalai Vanan Balakrishnan and Anbarasi Boopal are the two Co-Chief Executive Officers of Singapore’s wildlife rescue charity, ACRES. Both in their 30s, they started as volunteers over a decade ago, found their calling and overcame family and financial concerns to follow their hearts on this journey.

About ACRES

Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) is a local animal protection charity organisation, founded 20 years ago by a group of Singaporeans passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless. It was the country’s first facility dedicated to homing victims of illegal wildlife trade and has evolved to also rehabilitate and treat native wildlife in distress. Besides providing 24-hour wildlife rescues, ACRES also seeks to develop a compassionate society as an end to animal cruelty, and is doing its part by educating everyone about such issues.

If you encounter wildlife in trouble, call the 24-hour ACRES Wildlife Rescue Hotline at 9783 7782, but note that your help may be needed as well.

What roles do you play at ACRES?

Anbarasi: I manage the advocacy department, including education, fundraising, the crime unit and wildlife management. In my first ten years, I did rescue and rehabilitation work. Kalai: I oversee ACRES’ Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation operations, which run 24 hours a day.

How did you get involved with ACRES? Did earlier experiences pave the way?

A: I was a student at NUS in 2005 when I came across an endangered Indian star tortoise being kept illegally as a pet. Louis Ng from ACRES came to the rescue, and as he shared more about ACRES, I felt their values aligned with mine, so I started volunteering. I grew up in a village in India and saw how easy it is to lead an environmentallyfriendly and animal-friendly lifestyle. Things my mum taught me, like how to keep monkeys at bay (our fruit trees were raided by 40 bonnet macaques every day) help me teach about coexistence in Singapore today. K: I was brought up in an animal-loving family—I learnt at a young age that animals feel pain and that I should never hurt them. ACRES’ values resonated with me, so I volunteered, using creative skills I learnt in design school to improve the housing conditions of the animals at ACRES.

Kalai, your initial volunteer stint lasted only a day, and when you eventually returned you planned on staying just three months. It has now been ten years and you’re still going strong…

K: I decided to continue my studies first, but events eventually led me back. Then, I started to fall in love with ACRES more and more.

Did you both have the support of your families?

A: My family was very concerned when I joined at a monthly salary of $500, after graduating with two Masters degrees—they kept asking me to find a “proper” job. Over the years they have realised I find meaning in the work and, having met many of our dedicated staff and volunteers, they understand that the ACRES community makes a difference. Now they are regular donors to the cause, which I am very grateful for. K: At the time, I had increasing financial commitments, especially towards my family, so joining ACRES was a leap of faith. My parents were initially also fearful about me getting injured by the animals. However, when they saw the progress I was making in my career, they began to understand that this was more than a hobby. These days, they are very supportive of my work and are always excited to see me on TV or mentioned in articles.

Anbarasi, please share a memorable moment you’ve had with ACRES.

A: My rescue partner and I once attempted to reunite three lost baby squirrels with their family. It was early in the morning, but the whole estate had turned out to watch from a distance. When the mother squirrel came down the tree and grabbed her babies one by one to bring them to their new nest, everyone in the crowd was so touched. The wife of the security guard who had called us even shed tears. That reunion, the rescue of young wildlife, was a million-dollar moment for me.

What challenges does ACRES face today in its effort to protect animal welfare?

A&K: With finite space and resources, it is always a challenge to ensure that the animals’ welfare is not compromised. We need more funds to expand our rehabilitation efforts to the diverse species who come to us. Whether it is a specific formula diet, housing need or rehabilitation enclosure, we are trying our best to meet all their needs. This is not an easy job with our small team.

How has the Covid-19 situation affected operations?

A&K: We have worked right through, as an essential community service. In fact, there was a steep increase in the number of calls received, from 1,000 on average to 1,800 a month. This is taking a toll on our team, as we are unable to engage new volunteers due to the restrictions. We also could not hold our biggest fundraiser, a gala dinner marking ACRES’ 20th anniversary. Our open houses and education programmes are now all done virtually. On a brighter note, we have started engaging our supporters with heartening video stories, at https://bit.ly/40SecondsAtACRES. As a charity, we also seek support through donations—every dollar makes a huge difference. Lastly, volunteers also play a very important role, though currently with Covid-19 restrictions only the sanctuary team is open.

Any advice to share about volunteering with ACRES?

A&K: Working with animals is not easy, it involves a lot of sacrifice. Setbacks are often—not every animal can be saved. It takes a lot of determination and grit to do this job, and ACRES’ team of staff and volunteers embody this spirit daily.

What message would you like to leave our readers?

A&K: Animals across the globe are suffering in many ways due to human causes. We have the responsibility to ensure their welfare, and this starts with developing compassion. As Singapore grows into a “City in Nature”, we need more tolerance towards animals. We welcome anyone—property managers, schools, companies—to sign up for our Wildlife Etiquette series of talks. We should learn what to do when we encounter wildlife, instead of complaining and reporting them as a nuisance.

What can our community do to aid ACRES’ mission?

A&K: Everyone can be more aware of how our lifestyle choices impact nature and the environment. From the food we eat, to the clothes we wear and the entertainment that we choose, we are responsible to our future generations for the consequences.

As Singapore greens more urban spaces, this will attract more wildlife, and biodiversity does not stop at just butterflies and flowers. The insects will attract lizards, who in turn will attract garden snakes who feed on lizards. If food waste in an estate is not managed properly, rats will also come, which will attract pythons. We need more tolerance towards animals, and to replace fear with compassion and knowledge.

Anbarasi Boopal, Co-CEO, ACRES