Animals

Definitions and Scope

Target Population: [name of target group]

[identify target group and define who is included or excluded in this category: you want to get it just right: not too broad that it includes those you may not want to include, and not too narrow that it excludes those you want to help. You might be too exclusive: e.g. defining ‘vulnerable’ seniors as ‘low-income’, but you may want to include those without family support. Therefore, you may want to define vulnerable as ‘poor and/or with low family support’. You might be too inclusive: e.g. ‘latchkey kids’ may include those who have working parents, or those with serious behavioural problems.]

Biologically, animals are organisms under the kingdom Animalia. Colloquially, animals usually refer to non-human organisms of the above group. According to Singapore’s Animals and Birds Act, an animal is defined as “any mammal (other than man) or fish and includes any other living creature that is prescribed as an animal for the purposes of this Act or that falls within a class of animals that is prescribed for those purposes” while a bird is termed to include “domestic fowls, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowls and pigeons of any age or sex and the eggs thereof” ^[1].

The broad term of "animals" can be further broken down into various categories: pets, community animals, wildlife, livestock and animals in scientific research.

Refer to this NParks web page for a list of allowed pets in Singapore. Other animals are not allowed as pets due to reasons listed on this NParks web page.

Community animals are also known as strays and refers to the "dogs and cats living in communal areas around us" ^[2].

According to Singapore's Wild Animals and Birds Act, wild animals and birds "includes all species of animals and birds of a wild nature, but does not include domestic dogs and cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, domestic pigs, poultry and ducks" ^[3].

Livestock in Singapore consists of hen (for eggs), fish, crustaceans and molluscs ^[4].

Client Segments

[Eg. For at risk youth, some could have behavioural problems and be beyond parental control. Others could merely be disengaged and bored in school. Because it seems like different engagement strategies can be customized to these sub-types, it may make sense to segmentize.]

Size of the Problem

[Size of the universe (size of total potential need/demand for services)] [Size of expressed need (those receiving services and on waitlist)]

Desired impact for target group

[If we have no conception of what counts as a ‘good death’, ‘social inclusion’, ‘engaged youth’ , then it would not be possible to determine whether our policies and services are performing well]

Needs of [insert client type]

Need for [ insert description ]

[Needs should not be identified in term of its specific solutions—eg youths need mentoring, seniors need hospice care, people with disabilities need day care (these are specific solutions we can be in the next column)—Instead, they should be defined in more ‘perennial terms’ because the solutions can change but the needs remain; I don’t need a CD player, or even an mp3 player, I need ‘portable music’ and currently the best solution seems to be Spotify]

[Also indicate the size of this specific need & projected demand were data is available]

Existing Resources

[e.g. existing services or programmes both private or public; relevant policies and legislation]

Gaps and Their Causes

[Some gaps could be due to 1) capacity of solution to meet size & projected demand, 2) quality of solution (effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, scalability etc.), 3) accessibility (geographical, cost to client)]

Possible Solutions

[Based on the specific gaps and reasons for those gaps, what might be solutions that can help? Insert existing but untapped resources, or new ideas that have not been considered yet]

Need for increased animal adoption in Singapore

Through an analysis of various animal shelters' annual reports, we have found that there is generally low adoption rates and high numbers of animals being rescued over the years.

EXISTING RESOURCES	EFFECTIVENESS	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES
Project ADORE Permanent scheme since 2014 ^[5] Supported by Animal Welfare Groups (AWGs) - Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD), Save our Street Dogs (SOSD), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Exclusively Mongrels (EM) and Causes for Animals (CAS) ^[5] HDB flat owners can adopt local mixed breed dogs aka Singapore Specials (up to 15 kg in weight and 50 cm in height - limits are comparable to the size of toy breeds allowed) ^[5] Only one dog per flat ^[5] Abide by stringent ownership conditions ^[5] Sterilisation, routine vaccination and micro-chipping ^[5] New owners must also apply for a dog licence ^[5] New owners will have to enrol their dogs for obedience training courses at the point of adoption, and sign a Code of Responsible Behaviour (CORB) which includes requirements to ensure that their dogs do not cause nuisances to the neighbours ^[5] June 2017: expansion to allow rehoming of retired sniffer dogs in HDB flats under a one-year pilot. Dog handlers from the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force K-9 units, and the MWDU are now allowed to rehome retired sniffer dogs in HDB flats. ^[5] August 2018: became permanent scheme and members of the public staying in HDB flats are also allowed to adopt retired sniffer dogs, on a one-year pilot basis ^[5] Allowable sniffer dog breeds include Labradors, English Springers, Cocker Spaniels and Pointers ^[5]	Residents have been receptive to larger dog breeds in their neighbourhoods if the dog owners behaved responsibly and there were proper channels in place for dispute mediation. The scheme has been well-received thus far. ^[6] MND will review the pilot expansion after one year and assess whether to extend it to other types of service dogs ^[6]

Need for better protection of wild reptiles in Singapore

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Animals and Birds Act Any person who cruelly beats, kicks, ill-treats, over-rides, over-drives, over-loads, tortures, infuriates or terrifies any animal is guilty of an offence.^[7]	Although in theory a python or a monitor lizard is afforded the same level of legal protection as an otter or a pangolin, in practice, many wild reptiles are treated as pests and are not handled properly. For example, snake removal is often done by pest control operators. Pest control is not usually trained to handle these wild animals and they often end up harming the animal or themselves.^[8]^[9]	Provide proper training, certification and follow-up for pest control operators to make sure they are up-to-date and are adhering to proper standards when they handle these animals.

Need for increased public education about reptiles in Singapore

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Wildlife Reserves Singapore WRS gives talks about Singapore’s biodiversity, its significance to our heritage and the importance of conservation.^[10]	Still, the overwhelming majority of Singaporeans consider these animals to be dangerous pests. However, the truth is that reptiles are part of our native biodiversity that provide a wide range of ecosystem services (e.g. Pythons are what help to keep invasive rat populations at bay).^[11]	The Singaporean education system should include a) The importance of preserving and coexisting with native biodiversity and b) curriculum teaching kids to value and respect biodiversity regardless of visual appeal. In other words, even if somebody thinks snakes and monitor lizards are scary and disgusting, they should be able to appreciate the importance of living together with these animals.

Need for increased funding in biodiversity research

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Wildlife Reserves Singapore Provides funding for projects related to research and conservation of Singapore’s endangered native wildlife.^[12]	Current research is limited by the amount of funding it receives. Understanding our biodiversity better can better equip us to co-exist with it.	Increase funding for wildlife research projects. Increase sources of funding for wildlife research projects e.g NParks, NEA.