Just received a copy of SPCA Bulletin. It saddens me to read about the horrible animal abuse cases. Some of these cases are committed by young children ! A 5 year old boy throwing his pet kittens from a 3rd floor unit. A 12 year old boy arrested for throwing a cat from the 13th floor. Where do they get their cruelty streak from ?
Then there was mass poisoning of stray cats at Bayshore Park Condominium. I suppose the number of abuse case on the rise should not come as a surprise. If people can abandon predigree dogs which they chose as pet, they would not give much thought to strays.
Why the intolerant ? I find this rather disturbing. How can one torture and kill helpless kittens ? I am not sure which is more frightening - coming from adult who should know better or from children who are suppose to be 'innocent' and needing protection themselves. What would these children do when they grow up to vent their frustration when things do not work out for them ?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
World Animal Day on 4 Oct
4th Oct is World Animal Day. To quote Desmond Morris " If any culture has sympathy for its animal companions, then it has a chance to become sensitive and caring in all respects. "
If there is any truth in Morris's quotation, then perhaps there may be a correlation between :
- animal abuse - maid and spouse abuse ?
- abandonment of pets - abandoning aged parents in homes ?
- irresponsible pet ownership - not supporting aged parents financially ?
This could be interesting research stuff. Any taker ?
More than 10,000 animals are handed to SPCA each year. At least 90% of which are put to sleep. The data has not included those taken in by AVA (100% termination). Recently we read in the papers that a NGO care givers for animals have to look for adoptive home aboard for the abandon animals in their care, as adoptive home cannot be found locally to take them in. What does this say about us as a nation ?
Our government has been running Kindness movement and Courtesy campaigns for years. Why do we need constant reminder ? Is it not disheartening that we need to have a law to ensure that elderly parents are provided for and not ''abandon'' by their children ?
Perhaps those who are kind in nature will be kind in all respects. Even if they do not like animals, they would adopt a tolerant attitude. I believe there are signs of intolerant and cruelty early in life when we observe how child interact with animals. If they find ''joy'' in hurting animals, this may extend to how their treat their fellow human in adult life.
I have personally witness 'bad' example set by parents. There was this father who stamped his feet and shouted to frighten a cat out of its wits. He laughed and encouraged his son to do the same. Children are impressionable. Is this the way to teach them how to treat animals ? Often we hear parents telling their kids that animals are dirty, they spread diseases or can bite and scratch. This only instills fear and phobia in kids.
Why not use such opportunity to teach kids that animals can feel and suffer just like us. Pets are not toys which can be discarded. Abandonment is cruelty. About responsibility and caring for them through their life span.
If there is any truth in Morris's quotation, then perhaps there may be a correlation between :
- animal abuse - maid and spouse abuse ?
- abandonment of pets - abandoning aged parents in homes ?
- irresponsible pet ownership - not supporting aged parents financially ?
This could be interesting research stuff. Any taker ?
More than 10,000 animals are handed to SPCA each year. At least 90% of which are put to sleep. The data has not included those taken in by AVA (100% termination). Recently we read in the papers that a NGO care givers for animals have to look for adoptive home aboard for the abandon animals in their care, as adoptive home cannot be found locally to take them in. What does this say about us as a nation ?
Our government has been running Kindness movement and Courtesy campaigns for years. Why do we need constant reminder ? Is it not disheartening that we need to have a law to ensure that elderly parents are provided for and not ''abandon'' by their children ?
Perhaps those who are kind in nature will be kind in all respects. Even if they do not like animals, they would adopt a tolerant attitude. I believe there are signs of intolerant and cruelty early in life when we observe how child interact with animals. If they find ''joy'' in hurting animals, this may extend to how their treat their fellow human in adult life.
I have personally witness 'bad' example set by parents. There was this father who stamped his feet and shouted to frighten a cat out of its wits. He laughed and encouraged his son to do the same. Children are impressionable. Is this the way to teach them how to treat animals ? Often we hear parents telling their kids that animals are dirty, they spread diseases or can bite and scratch. This only instills fear and phobia in kids.
Why not use such opportunity to teach kids that animals can feel and suffer just like us. Pets are not toys which can be discarded. Abandonment is cruelty. About responsibility and caring for them through their life span.
Monday, September 7, 2009
SingPost staff delivering junk mails to HDB residents
Some years back, HDB upgraded the mail boxes with the amenity to ‘lock’ the mailbox slot so as to prevent junk mails from being slotted into the mail boxes. Only postal staff with their ‘master’ key to open the mail boxes panel could deliver mails to the residents.
It was a welcome relief to be free from junk mails, but this lasted only for a while. In recent years, postal staffs are the ones delivering junk mails to resident. Is this not an irony ? We end up with lots of junk mails in our letter box inspite of locking the mailbox slot !
Is it not clear to SingPost that residents choose to lock up the mailbox slot to prevent junk mails being stuff into their mail boxes ? Why are SingPost staff delivering junk mails ? Who is at the receiving end of the commission payment ? SingPost or its staff ?
It was a welcome relief to be free from junk mails, but this lasted only for a while. In recent years, postal staffs are the ones delivering junk mails to resident. Is this not an irony ? We end up with lots of junk mails in our letter box inspite of locking the mailbox slot !
Is it not clear to SingPost that residents choose to lock up the mailbox slot to prevent junk mails being stuff into their mail boxes ? Why are SingPost staff delivering junk mails ? Who is at the receiving end of the commission payment ? SingPost or its staff ?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Cove ....of dolphins and Japan
Some of us may remember Flipper, the TV series about dolphin. This successful series lead to the demand for captive dolphins use for performance in amusement centers around the world. The perpetual smile on the dolphin face is its undoing as it makes it so adorable that we love to see them perform their acrobatic acts. This resulted in many wild dolphins being captured to satisfy our demand.
What we may not know is that Flipper committed suicide in front of its trainer, Ric O’Barry. This incident leads him to spend the rest of his life trying to save dolphins in captivity.
The Cove is a movie not to be missed. It reveals the shocking massacring of 23,000 dolphins each year in the idyll fishing village of Taijii in Japan. The villagers treat dolphins as pests which deplete their fishing stocks, instead of acknowledging the fact that it is overfishing that is root cause of the problem.
The dolphin meat is then sold for consumption all over Japan. Often they are passed off as whale meat which can fetch a higher price. This documentary exposed another shocking fact – dolphin meat is high in mercury content, due to industrial pollution around the area. Thus, consumption of such meat pose a health hazard. This is just the tip of an iceberg. To find out more …see the movie which is currently showing at Vivo and Plaza Singapore.
We can do our part in stopping this brutality. Refrain from attending such performance when on overseas trips. Boycott whale meat (you may be eating mercury laden dolphin meat for all you know). Purchase only dolphin friendly tuna products. Join the petition to free the pink dolphins in Sentosa. Sentosa will keep replacing the dolphins if there is a demand for them, it will only mean more wild dolphins being capture.
What we may not know is that Flipper committed suicide in front of its trainer, Ric O’Barry. This incident leads him to spend the rest of his life trying to save dolphins in captivity.
The Cove is a movie not to be missed. It reveals the shocking massacring of 23,000 dolphins each year in the idyll fishing village of Taijii in Japan. The villagers treat dolphins as pests which deplete their fishing stocks, instead of acknowledging the fact that it is overfishing that is root cause of the problem.
The dolphin meat is then sold for consumption all over Japan. Often they are passed off as whale meat which can fetch a higher price. This documentary exposed another shocking fact – dolphin meat is high in mercury content, due to industrial pollution around the area. Thus, consumption of such meat pose a health hazard. This is just the tip of an iceberg. To find out more …see the movie which is currently showing at Vivo and Plaza Singapore.
We can do our part in stopping this brutality. Refrain from attending such performance when on overseas trips. Boycott whale meat (you may be eating mercury laden dolphin meat for all you know). Purchase only dolphin friendly tuna products. Join the petition to free the pink dolphins in Sentosa. Sentosa will keep replacing the dolphins if there is a demand for them, it will only mean more wild dolphins being capture.
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