| Written by Jasmine Chan,
on Saturday, 2 January 2010
|
Published in : Outreach, Career |
  You’re sound asleep on your side. Suddenly, you feel a weight pressing down on your right arm. You lift up your eyelids to take in your surroundings and your eyes fall onto a black and brown mass obstructing 90 per cent of your view. Your brain whirls, not quite processing what is in the dark. You panic and wonder what-in-the-world-that-thing-is. You feel a tongue flicking towards you, licking you. Then, from somewhere deep down in its throat, a ‘woof’ emerges. You sit up, and realise it’s only a dog. Sleep continues as you fall back onto the couch.
The above is what Animal Caregiver Md. Hafiz’zan Shah (or Zan for short), experiences occasionally when he sleeps over at the ACRES compound in Jalan Lekar. ACRES—which stands for Animal Concerns Research & Education Society— is a charitable organisation which aims to foster respect for animals, improve living conditions and welfare of animals in captivity and educate people on animal-friendly lifestyle choices.
ACRES recently opened a wildlife centre which some of our sick, injured or ill-treated wildlife friends now call home. The staff rotate their stay-in days to keep an eye on their rescued ones.
Entering the compound, I heard shrill yaps followed by woofs of varying tones, and finally eight pairs of legs scurrying towards me. Four tuffs of fur, one brown, one black and two whites, halted a distance away and gave me similar quizzical looks. I cautiously walked around them and entered the reception area.
To prevent diseases from spreading, people without the proper vaccination (me included) are not allowed into the quarantine area with the rescued animals. But huzzah for technology and cameras, as Zan showed me, on a computer, pictures of the going-ons inside the quarantine area. Upon selecting a folder, images of star tortoises greeted me. I saw two tortoises, TinyTot and Boris, who are now happily chomping on their greens after being recently rescued from the confines of a paper bag.
TINYTOT AND BORIS, THE TWO STAR TORTOISES
Zan explains that the day starts with the clearing and checking of the animal cages. Waste is cleared and animals checked to see if they are in good condition. If no problems arise, the animals are then put back into their cages and fed, not with pre-packed food, but with food found in their natural habitat. For example, the star tortoises are fed with hibiscus leaves plucked from hibiscus shrubs maintained by the ACRES volunteers and staff. The health of the animals are also monitored against the previous day’s chart based on factors such as behaviour, food intake and others.
MIDORI BASKING IN THE HEAT
As Zan scrolled through the pictures, we came across one of a green iguana named Midori. Midori was found high up in the trees of Singapore, looking precariously out of place. The most probable cause? Smuggling due to the illegal pet trade. Being a green iguana, Liz is a cold blooded animal and needs to be in temperatures of above 40°C in order to survive. Given Singapore’s weather, this is not achievable without help. Thus, ACRES bought a lamp that maintains a temperature of up to 50°C in the iguana’s enclosure, ensuring that the little guy has all the heat he needs.
Besides ensuring that the animals have all that they need, the caregivers are also enrolled in enrichment classes. These enrichment classes planned out by experts, and carried out by trained and knowledgeable staff, ensure that these animals currently in captivity will be able to find their own food when they’re let out into the wild. Food items are hidden in the trays of sand or hung on strings to encourage the tortoises to tap on their natural behaviour to find food.
A HORRIFYING RE-ENACTMENT OF A CAGED BEAR IN A BEAR FARM
Next to the quarantine area lies the Education house and a small garden. After going through the photos, Zen brought me into the Education house and showed me around. No bigger then a basketball court, a mural of the Education house decorates a corner of the wall, with rows of chairs lined up facing the projector screen. Against the walls, displays depicted how animals are used or cruelly smuggled in our world. Zan explained the learning points of each display. Some were rather scary and horrifying, like the practice of extracting bear bile that is rampant in China. As we exited the Education house, Zan talked about the educational fun and games that were conducted for children on a patch of grass outside the Education house. Many hidden ‘animals’ (hand-painted props) were planted, and the children had to race against each other in search of animals shown on their worksheet. Wooden foldable billboards situated near the ‘animals’ offered more information about them for the curious. This activity educates the next generation on the importance of having animals in our eco-system and encourages them to protect Earth’s wildlife.
KIDS KNOW BEST, DON'T THEY?
After seeing and learning so much in just one day alone, it makes me wonder how people can bring themselves to commit such cruel crimes upon animals. Don’t they know about the pain they inflict, or are these animals just a source of income to them?
THE TIGHT BOND BETWEEN MAN AND ANIMAL... AS EXEMPLIFIED BETWEEN ZAN AND SCRAPPY
Being an ACRES caregiver, Zan knows and understands the impact of wildlife trade. That’s why he has dedicated his time to helping out at ACRES, to reach out a helping hand to those animals in need. Although it is no easy job, it boils down to one thing: he is doing his bit to save animals in need.
ACRES is looking for volunteers to assist with its work in a variety of areas, including help with daily operations of the ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre. More details here
PHOTOS: JASMINE CHAN
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS: ACRES
Jasmine
believes that animals have feelings too. Oh, and she loves the four tuffs of fur so much a.k.a. Sunshine, Scrappy, Penni and Wisky
ARCHIVE
Police K-9 Handler for a day
The Volunteer Trooper: Walk the dogs
SPCA Animal Care Officer for a day
Stable Manager for a day
THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF Dec 28-Jan 3 :: The Kosong Issue
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