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Pilot project to test managing stray dogs without culling

SINGAPORE — Stray dogs on Jurong Island will no longer be culled: Instead, they will be trapped, neutered and released back into their community as part of a pilot Trap-Neuter-Release-and-Manage (TNRM) programme launched on Thursday.

The first female dog on Jurong Island to be neutered and micro-chipped under the TNRM programme, and returned to its community. Photo: Mr K Shanmugam's Facebook page

The first female dog on Jurong Island to be neutered and micro-chipped under the TNRM programme, and returned to its community. Photo: Mr K Shanmugam's Facebook page

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SINGAPORE — Stray dogs on Jurong Island will no longer be culled: Instead, they will be trapped, neutered and released back into their community as part of a pilot Trap-Neuter-Release-and-Manage (TNRM) programme launched on Thursday.

Announcing the trial project on his Facebook page yesterday, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said the programme involved managing the island’s stray-dog population without culling. “This is a trial project to try to see if we can avoid culling,” he wrote.

The programme traps the stray dogs, sterilises them, then returns them to the wild. The two-year trial is a partnership between JTC Corporation and three animal welfare groups: Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) and Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD).

ACRES chief executive Louis Ng said a 1,800sqm holding facility — comprising an on-site hospital, recovery room, assessment area, outdoor enclosures and an administrative office — has been built and funded by JTC.

The animal welfare groups are tapping their operational funds and hoping to raise money to finance the initiative, which can cost at least S$200,000, SOSD president Siew Tuck Wah said.

There are an estimated 300 stray dogs on Jurong Island, a marked increase from 2005, when there were about 50 to 70 dogs, ASD president Ricky Yeo said. “We are glad that … JTC is open to the idea,” he added.

Responding to media queries, JTC said it had been approached by a task force comprising the three animal welfare groups and that it had agreed to provide the space for them to set up the facility to carry out the programme.

The groups — which had been in discussions for almost a year with government agencies and Mr Shanmugam, a known advocate for animal welfare — praised the initiative as a significant development. They added that they hoped the trial, if successful, would be extended to other areas in Singapore.

Describing the project as a “very big step forward for the stray dogs” here, Mr Ng said: “For the first time, we are departing from the culling policy (for stray dogs).”

He added that the TNRM method had been successful in addressing the population of stray cats in the Chong Pang estate, which is under Mr Shanmugam’s watch.

It is hoped that the pilot will help reduce the stray-dog population on Jurong Island by 25 per cent in the first five years. Trappers will be hired on a contractual basis and veterinarians will be roped in to neuter the animals. About six veterinarians have agreed to be part of the project so far, the groups said.

Dr Siew said animal welfare groups have been using the TNRM method for decades, but that this pilot marked the first time a government agency has collaborated with welfare groups to do the same. “People who are advocates for stray dogs have been dreaming about this for decades,” he added.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority did not address the question on whether the TNRM programme would be extended to other parts of Singapore if the trial is successful. It stated that its priority was to ensure public safety and public health in the management of stray dogs. “Stray dogs, whether sterilised or not, can continue to pose a public-safety threat and hasten the spread of rabies,” it said.

The authority added that as the pilot initiative was an arrangement between JTC, Jurong Island tenants and the animal welfare groups, the parties involved would have to take the necessary precautions and be prepared for any public-safety and nuisance issues that may arise.

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