Last week, the National Parks Board (NParks) announced a variety of outreach and education efforts targeted at students, such as new learning journeys and teaching resources.

Besides outreach and education efforts, the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), a branch of NParks is also aiming to raise the standards of animal health and welfare in Singapore through a holistic review of the pet sector.

This move comes after a few cases brought issues with the pet industry to the surface.

One case was of a pet dog, Loki, that was euthanised during the Circuit Breaker period.

Work group set up to tackle issues around dog rehoming & adoption

Since August 2019, the government agency has been engaging various stakeholders from the breeding and boarding sectors, as well as the veterinary industry.

A work group was also set up in October this year to look into rehoming and adoption practices of animals.

Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How spoke about the role of the Rehoming and Adoption Work Group (RAWG):

"The RAWG will also develop guiding principles for dog rehabilitation and training, and measures to enhance the competency and standards of dog trainers in Singapore. This will increase the chances of an adopted animal being integrated successfully into its new home and the community."

Public to be consulted in 2021 on new community standards & guidelines

Tan added that members of the public can look forward to providing their feedback and suggestions in 2021, which will be used to create new community standards and guidelines on rehoming and adoption.

AVS will continue to work with the individuals from the Animal Welfare Groups, veterinarians and dog trainers to finetune these identified areas of concerns.

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Top image via NParks website.