Our Comments:

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is the only animal welfare charity in Singapore that takes in unlimited numbers of unwanted pet and stray animals. Each month we receive about 700 cats, dogs, rabbits and other small animals. That's about 8,400 animals each year. It is, sadly, not possible to find homes for all of them.

HDB flat residents are not allowed to keep cats, and only small breeds of dogs are permitted. This severely limits the number of potential adoptive homes. The SPCA itself has very limited kennel space. This means we have no choice but to put animals to sleep but this often leads to criticism. The Society has never made a secret of this fact. Qualified veterinarian consultants carry out euthanasia humanely by lethal injection.

The SPCA is the only animal welfare organisation that runs round the clock and does not turn away any animal arriving on its doorstep. We simply do not have the space to keep and re-home such large numbers of animals. A shelter cannot be a `no kill' organisation unless it takes in only a limited number of adoptable animals. If the SPCA takes in only a small number of adoptable animals, what would happen to the rest? Singapore would end up with even more stray animals breeding, starving and dying a painful death on the streets.

Some have suggested that the SPCA should just board all the animals who can't find homes. The immense amount of space needed would make that unfeasible. More importantly, the SPCA does not believe in keeping animals confined long-term in cages or kennels when there is no prospective home for them. We feel that every animal deserves a home with a loving and responsible owner.

The SPCA cannot and does not guarantee that an animal, once surrendered, will be kept for adoption. Members of the public surrendering animals to SPCA are informed about this and staff are available to counsel them about the consequences if necessary.

Unfortunately the SPCA in Singapore bears the burden of taking in surplus stray animals along with thousands of unwanted pets. Most RSPCAs in other countries do not have to do this because the public have other choices - other animal welfare shelters and adequate government facilities.

The long-term solution is sterilisation, stricter controls on the sale of pets and educating pet owners to be more responsible. These are issues that the SPCA has been working on via campaigns, sterilisation programmes and educational talks and visits. We are also lobbying for the lifting of the ban on keeping cats in HDB flats and for tighter controls on pet shops and pet farms. But these efforts can only bear fruit if we have the help and support of everyone involved.