Native Species

I was excited about this encyclopedia when a friend told me about it yesterday but was very disappointed to read this article in the newspapers today.

I am glad that Dr Ng realises that sterilisation is the way to go, and that this will help keep the population in check. This is exactly why a sterilisation programme is so important. What is disturbing to me is the native species argument. The real impact as I am sure we can all agree, isn't cats or any of these other invasive species - it's humans.

I was just having a conversation with someone the other day and every time I come back to Singapore, the landscape has changed so much. New buildings have popped up. Some friends of mine who were away two years recently came back and couldn't recognise Singapore anymore. Is it really the non-native species that are causing these issues, or is it the fact that we are demolishing areas in order to find more space for people and our activities? If our native species are competing for food and space, then who takes away more food and space then we do? With an increasing population, and such limited space, cats are the least of their problems.

Where do the cats go after sterilisation?

Thanks to Calsifer and btmao for this link. There's going to be a huge problem if the town councils think that the sterilisation programme is to lead to cats being adopted off the streets.

Sterilisation programme to be brought back

This is very good news - as one of the people interviewed said, why should it take so long to allow cats into flats? Also, the funding of sterilisation is long overdue - this will be much welcome news to caregivers!

I am still concerned about microchipping of the cats though. Who maintains this database? Will all the present cats be allowed to remain? Will there be a 'limit' imposed and who determines what this limit is? The town council? Residents? Caregivers or a mixture of all three groups? Also, what happens if there is abandonment? What steps will be taken to stem the abandonment and what happens to the cats that have been abandoned if they are not microchipped? More information would be very helpful.

Deirdre Moss stepping down

Sad news to hear that Deirdre is stepping down. She has done a lot for animal welfare in Singapore though she certainly does deserve a quiet retirement after all the work she has done. It's good to know that she will stay on as a consultant.