Speaking at a conference in Singapore this week, world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall said she was shocked to hear Singaporeans asking for wildlife to be returned to the zoo. Education is key to moving away from such a culture of intolerance towards wildlife, said Dr Goodall.

In response, many TODAY readers said Singapore was unlike bigger countries where animals have plenty of space to roam. Keeping them in the zoo may, therefore, be the safer option. But others said there was room to accommodate them in the city-state.

Most of the wild animals we spot and then call on the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society to relocate to the zoo are usually spotted in decidedly non-wild areas, such as our housing estates. I am definitely not going to be comfortable with the thought of a wild python climbing the lamppost outside my window. JAS WONG SY

Well, what do you do when you find a python crawling up the sewer pipe of a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat? Well, everyone will call the police or the National Environment Agency. Do you think the police will release the python back in the HDB estate? TAN KIM PONG 

We are not like other countries that have a very big and safe space for wildlife. If we return the animals back to Singapore wildlife, they will probably be run over by cars. GIN LAI

Singaporeans do it with a caring heart. Sending the animals to the zoo is for their protection. LOON FU-MAN 

It is a fact: Wildlife will live longer in captivity. They do make today's zoos look like their natural habitat. TONY DECHELLIS JR

Singapore is too small to support wildlife. It is better to put these dangerous animals in the zoo than to get killed. Yes, I will be one of those “why is it not in the zoo” people. KIRBY AIK BOON LIM 

It is different in a Singapore zoo. Animals are better fed in a protected environment that is close to their habitat in a tight city-state that is actually a danger to these animals. JAMES TIO 

Where do we find a place in Singapore for wildlife? Everything is used for houses, new roads and shopping centres. SIMON SOH 

It is perfectly natural for anyone who lives in a bigger country where nature and wild animals are plentiful to jump to sharp conclusions about Singaporeans. I am sure Singaporeans generally do not have bad intentions in thinking that a cityscape like ours is often without wild animals. So they might think that these animals could be from the zoo or should be well taken care of by professional caregivers. And the zoo provides them with a proper environment to survive in. I do not believe they mean harm or disrespect to wildlife at all. CLIFF CN  

That is certainly not what I would ask for, because the zoo also has limited space. I will call the authorities and let them decide on the best option for the animal. Most of the time, it is Singaporeans who abandon their pets at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or just leave them anywhere. That is the bigger problem. Public feeding of wildlife indiscriminately is also a problem. JIMMY BEANY 

Typical small-minded Singaporeans attacking someone (Dr Goodall) who has done more for wildlife and the planet than any of you will ever do in your lifetime. In "returning" wildlife to the zoo, you are saying that is where animals belong. You forget that we are the ones in their natural habitat, destroying it and claiming it for ourselves. We are the ones that do not belong, not them. That is what she is taking issue with, not the practical aspects of having snakes out in our HDB estates. As far as possible, we need to have areas in Singapore where our birds and what little wildlife we have can stay wild. That is what our nature reserves are for. We have already done much damage. The least we can do is try to safeguard what little we have left. JANANI J  

To all of you who are calling Dr Goodall stupid or impractical, chill, please. My question to you is, do you think of calling the zoo when you see the Bishan otters in our waterways? Clearly not, because you understand on some level that they have adapted to an urban context. Even cities such as Singapore can provide an abundant environment suitable for a range of fauna. The local authorities deserve some credit, including for creating several nature reserves and numerous green pockets and parks, which sustain a good range of local fauna. What is wrong with returning wildlife that have wandered out by mistake to the wild? That is the point Dr Goodall is making. STEFFEN TOH 

Not all Singaporeans think this way. Only those who are ignorant or have a plain dislike for coexisting with animals think like that. I spotted a couple of hornbills recently on the way to work. I felt wonderful and it made my day. MAGDALEN LOW 

What she means is people must be educated to have empathy for animals. SARAH ANNE FERNANDEZ  

A zoo is not the right place for wild animals. It is akin to jail for them. I do not like to go to the zoo because I feel sad when I see them in cages, especially wild animals who can live free in their habitats. AIDA FAHARA

These comments were first posted to TODAY’s Facebook page. They have been edited for clarity, accuracy and length.