Funds for Culling Animals

4 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development (a) for each year in the past three years, how much does the Ministry spend on culling dogs, cats and monkeys respectively; (b) whether the Ministry expects an increase in culling expenditure in the next three years; (c) whether the Ministry has conducted scientific research on the effectiveness of culling on population control; and (d) whether the Ministry is conducting scientific research into measures other than culling to address the human-animal conflicts.

The Senior Minister of State for National Development (Mr Desmond Lee) (for the Minister for National Development): Madam, AVA takes a multi-pronged approach, involving various stakeholders, to manage the animal population and mitigate health and safety concerns.

It first undertakes a professional assessment of potential threats that animals might pose to public health and safety. If there are no significant public health and safety concerns, AVA will work with the public to mitigate any potential nuisance issues. If there are significant health and safety concerns, then AVA will have to act. Where feasible, it will work with stakeholders, including the animal welfare groups and organisations like Wildlife Reserves Singapore, to relocate or rehome these animals. Culling is used only as a last resort, a point which my colleague Minister of State Koh Poh Koon had made at the last Sitting.

AVA does not track the expenditure it incurs on culling animals as this is only a very small part of AVA's overall work.

AVA will continue to conduct relevant studies and research to inform its policies and facilitate a science-based approach to animal management. For example, AVA engaged a team of local and overseas academics in November 2015 to start a three-year stray dog study. This study will estimate the stray dog population in Singapore, look at the ecological and biological aspects of stray dogs, and determine the efficacy of various population management options like sterilisation. AVA has also been carrying out similar studies on birds, as well as conducting trials to test the effectiveness of various bird deterrent methods. Our animal welfare groups are also pitching in. For example, conducting sterilisation on Pulau Ubin as well as Jurong Island.

We also need the community to do their part in helping to reduce potential animal-human conflicts in our society. For example, if everyone practises responsible pet ownership and refrains from feeding strays, the number of stray animals will fall and present a much smaller problem. AVA has been and will continue to work with various animal welfare groups on public education for responsible pet ownership.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Mdm Speaker, I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply and I also thank him for starting the study of stray dogs in Singapore. I am looking forward to the results of that study.

I have three points of clarification. One, can the Senior Minister of State clarify how much does AVA pay the contractors for each dog, cat or monkey caught? Second, the Senior Minister of State mentioned about the professional assessment. Can I check who does these assessments as well as how they are actually conducted? Thirdly, and a point which is in the Parliamentary Question (PQ), can the Senior Minister of State clarify whether AVA expects an increase in expenditure for culling over the next three years?

Mr Desmond Lee: Madam, for the first question, I do not have specific figures for each type of animal that the Member mentioned but I am aware that the total budget for animal management operations for 2016 was $800,000.

The second question is about how AVA does the assessment. AVA officers will conduct the assessment. They will look at the nature of the complaint or feedback and verify the facts. Surveillance, whether by AVA officers or by the deployment of cameras, is also often used. Information on the population of animals, their activities, their proximity to human habitation and their interactions with humans factor into these assessments. Taken together, this information informs AVA's responses.

As for the Member's third question about whether AVA expects expenditure to increase in the coming years, I do not think we are able to project. It depends on the risks and whether human-animal conflicts rise or fall, and whether public education helps mitigate that along with the animal welfare groups' efforts in working with us to rehome animals.