STREATS
4th February 2004
VOCAL
"I refer to the letters, "Restrict sale of pets" and "Edcuate public on
responsible pet ownership" (both in Streats, Jan 26), by Ms Wong Mei and Mr
Gilbert Thomas respectively.
We agree with the writers that public education is imperative in raising the
standard of responsible pet ownership. The problem of pet abandonment stems
mainly from owners' lack of knowledge about pet care. Owners who are unaware
of pet welfare requirements inadvertently end up neglecting or abandoning
their pets.
Pet shops in Singapore are licensed by AVA. However, limiting the number of
pet shops and the availability of pets is not the long-term solution to the
problem of pet abandonment. It is important for potential and existing owners
to be equipped with sufficient knowledge regarding the care and
responsibilites that come with owning pet.
To this end, AVA has been actively promoting responsible pet ownership and
animal welfare. In addition to conducting education and counselling programmes
for the public, AVA has also been giving talks at schools to educate students
on the essentials of pet care and responsibility.
We are pleased to inform the writers that we will be intensifying our public
efforts on responsible pet ownership.
We also hope to work closely with animal welfare organisations to increase
public awareness of responsible pet ownership. We thank the writers for their
feedback.
Goh Shih Yong,
Corporate Communications Manager
AVA
MND