Found these links and references about this article:
- Dawn’s info about the dead cat
- the Time article about Mayor Chavez
- the Canadian PM’s feral kitten socialisation
- the feral cat colony on Canada’s Parliament Hill in Ottawa featured as an attraction
- volunteer-run blog about the cats
This story was printed from TODAYonline
Tuesday • January 16, 2007
Goh Boon Choo
ONCE again, a homeless cat has been brutally killed. A newspaper reported that on Dec 29, the dead cat was found hanging on a staircase railing of Block 245, Simei Street.
According to Cat Welfare Society operations director Dawn Kua, the cat was seen alive at 5pm. An hour later, it was dead.
This audacious crime, committed in broad daylight, comes on the heels of several well-publicised cases.
David Hooi Ying Weng, the twice-arrested kitten basher, is still serving a one-year sentence. Malaysian Wong Geng Thong, the serial cat killer of Old Airport Road, has been deported after his two-month sentence ended. The brutal Jurong East cat killer(s) are still at large, and dead cats continue to be found.
Public outcry follows these cases. And perhaps awareness of animal abuse and cruelty has risen because of these horrific crimes. The issue has caught the attention of Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong who paid some attention to it in conceptualising the Community Court.
But all this does not seem to have deterred abusers. How can Singapore stop the cruelty? The authorities always seem to rally around the twin slogans of education and public civic-mindedness when replying to questions about cruelty and other animal issues.
This penchant to leave it to the people is quintessentially a Singapore Government modus operandus. But the Singaporean penchant to follow the authorities’ cue is equally quintessential.
Early this month, Time magazine published the story of how the city of Albuquerque, in the United States, is fighting its homeless animal problem.
Leading the fight is Albuquerque’s Mayor Martin Chavez. He takes his mongrel, Dukes, to work with him. He has made the ending of euthanasia in the city’s shelters a goal. Dukes’ presence in his office highlights his commitment to tackling the unwanted animal population.
The mayor of Albuquerque is not alone in his compassion. Apparently, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes feral kittens home to socialise them before they are put up for adoption in Ottawa’s shelters. Incidentally, a feral cat colony has existed on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for many years. An 81-year-old volunteer feeds them, and has built living structures for them. The Canadian government features it as an attraction and the cats are sterilised and treated by doctors.
Mayor Chavez aims to make Albuquerque a city where all animals suited for adoption will have homes. He said: “We can’t be a complete city as long as we euthanise animals.” To highlight their woes, he takes shelter animals to public events. Time reported that these animals often find new homes on the spot. It has only been two years since Mayor Chavez started tackling the homeless animal problem — the city’s euthanasia rate has halved, and Albuquerque now adopts out more animals than it kills.
The might of influence cannot be denied. Beyond the confines of rules and procedures, the authorities do have roles to play in tackling Singapore’s apathy and animal abuse.
The writer is a Singaporean concerned with animal and environmental issues.
Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.
