Connect with us

Animals

NMP Anthea Ong seeks clarification on Wild Animals and Birds Act Amendment Bill: definition of “wildlife”, citizen empowerment and alignment with Parks and Trees Act

Published

5 years ago

on

Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Anthea Ong sought clarifications on the amendment bill of Wild Animals and Birds Act (WABA) about the definition of “wildlife”, extent of citizen empowerment and alignment of WABA with the Parks and Trees Act while expressing her support to the WABA amendments.

Aiming to maintain a healthy ecosystem and safeguard public safety and health, a proposed amendment to WABA has been introduced by MP Nee Soon Louis Ng in Parliament on 6 March as an effort to strengthen the protection, preservation and management of wildlife.

Under this amended bill, those feeding, releasing or trapping and killing wildlife without approval will face heavy penalties or jail sentences.

The enhanced fines and jail sentences will also be imposed on the setting of spring guns, and offering for sale, selling, exporting or importing of wildlife without approval.

Following this, Ms Ong said in parliament on 25 March that she supports the bill as the “stringent measures” proposed in the amendment is necessary for the protection of wildlife beyond nature parks and reserves, and for stricter enforcement to stop offenders from abusing, exploiting and killing wildlife.

Clarification on the definition of “wildlife” whether include wild marine animals

While welcoming the Bill, Ms Ong also questioned the amended’s definition of “wildlife” whether it “indeed extends to all wild marine animals”.

She noted that the Bill amends the definition of “wildlife” in the principal Act which also “includes any mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish or invertebrate”.

Besides that, she also questioned whether the trading of wild marine animals by commercial aquarium will be covered under the amended Bill on prohibiting of sale – including offer for sale – or export of any living or dead wildlife or import of any living wildlife respectively without the Director-General’s (DG) written approval.

She asked, “Under what circumstances will the DG give approval for importation and trade, and will this approval come only after a board is consulted or will it come about through absolute veto power?”

Concerning over the issue of shark’s importation in Singapore, Ms Ong suggested the Ministry of National Development to “align with relevant ministries” in ensuring a “transparent and traceable” of accurate sharks and ray trade information being collected and reported.

She also asked the Ministry to review the existing Harmonised System (HS) codes to Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR), as the current HS classifications of goods “does not include enough differentiation on shark species being imported.”

The role of “authorised officer” in relation to wildlife management and protection as well as nature reserves

The amended Bill empowers the DG to direct a person—which was identified as ‘the authorised officer’ by Ms Ong—to implement wildlife-related measures to manage or mitigate the impact of the person’s developments or works relating to wildlife as well as safeguarding the public health or safety of wildlife or the ecosystem.

Therefore, Ms Ong raised concerns to clarify the ‘authorised officer’ whether it “includes any ordinary citizen so authorised and given power to remove and dismantle traps that they find in keeping with the spirit of citizen empowerment”.

On top of this, she further requested clarification if offenders will be subsequently prosecuted if they are confronted at the scene by the authorised officer.

Ms Ong also doubted whether the person directed by DG will “come into effect to halt the development” if a nature reserve is “de-gazetted” for development.

Noting the construction of the Cross Island Line that runs 70 metres deep under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR), Ms Ong probed further on whether the amended bill will be able to safeguard the CCNR or other nature reserves “if the interpretation of the Parks and Trees Act come into contention”.

CCNR is the largest nature reserves that located in the centre of Singapore, which serve as a large green lung of the country. It occupies over 2,000 hectares of forest cover and houses some of the richest forests in terms of biodiversity.

To her stance on the amended bill, Ms Ong agreed that the Bill is a “better opportunity” to remind the parliament of alarming reports on the deterioration for global wildlife and plant populations issued by United Nations.

In her conclusion, she said, “This Bill is a great green leap forward in the right direction for wildlife protection and legislation in Singapore. Wildlife belongs to no one, any exploitation and abuse by anyone should not be tolerated.”

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Animals

House fire in Penang claims lives of 14 pet dogs, owner devastated

A house fire in Penang claimed the lives of 14 pet dogs, leaving the owner in deep grief. A viral TikTok video captured the tragedy, as the owner shared the emotional and financial toll of the incident, with the cause of the fire still under investigation.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

20 September 2024

By

PENANG, MALAYSIA: A tragic house fire in Tanjung Bungah, Penang has claimed the lives of 14 pet dogs, leaving the owner mourning the loss of his beloved animals.

A viral TikTok video captured the heart-wrenching aftermath, showing the owner’s grief as he recounted the devastating incident.

@maheswaranmuthiah

The worst tragedy in my life. My house burnt to ashes. 😭😭😭. Everything gone within an hour. I lost about 20k cash, training materials, banners, 2 professional dslr camera and equipments, commercial cooking equipments, commercial makeup learning equipments, canopy, mannequins, TV, blueray player, 2 hp, 3 laptops, my son’s ipad Pro 10, 1 pc, about 6 hardisks, 10 thumb drives, memory cards, 1 coffee machine, 1 coffee maker, letrik piano, exercise equipment, almost thousands of new and preloved novels, self development books, recipe books, IT Books, Law & Legal Books, skills development related to photography, makeup, tattoo, cooking, massage, entrepreneurship and etc books, 2 industrial fan, chiller, freezer, about 100+ academic/ appreciation certificates, reference letters, evaluation, recognition, modeling clothes, costumes, lingerie, 10 coat/ blazers, bags of ties, my business stocks like bliese perfume, air fresher, skincare product, toys, souvenirs, F&B, all my personal photo albums and belongings including all our clothes, puzzles, furnitures, book shelf, son’s toys and belongings, meditation/ yoga mate, crystals, rudraksha, grass cutting machine, water pressure pump, air purifier, water purifier, some jewelry, public gold coins and lots more…. But the worst of all is the lost of my 14 furrykids. My most precious children. All that I mentioned above is something I could rebuilt and recover. That I have to do for my 1 and only human son. But his siblings, my 14 children that perish in this unfortunate incident will not come back. This is an unbearable and unforgettable pain that will remain till the end of my life. 😭😭😭😭😭. An endless suffering in silent pain for me. 😭😭😭😭. #maheswaran #maheswaranmuthiah #furrykids #penang #malaysia #tragedy #crowdfund #pmx #chiefminister #chowkonyeow

♬ original sound – maheswaran – maheswaran

The fire allegedly occurred while the family was out for dinner, with no one present at home to rescue the pets.

The owner in response to concerning TikToker questions, speculated that the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit, but authorities have yet to confirm the exact cause, which remains under investigation.

In addition to the emotional toll, the fire also resulted in significant financial losses, with over RM20,000 (approximately US4,777) in cash and valuables destroyed.

“Everything was burnt to ashes within an hour,” the owner lamented.

While the dogs were not confined in cages, they were trapped inside the house, and despite neighbors being nearby, they were unable to intervene.

Firefighters on the scene advised bystanders to stay clear due to the risk of explosions.

The viral TikTok video has garnered widespread attention, with many netizens expressing their condolences and shock over the tragedy.

Comments on the post were filled with support, with some users reflecting on the irreplaceable loss of the pets and offering words of comfort.

Continue Reading

Animals

Panda knocks down zookeeper in Chongqing zoo, both unharmed

A panda named Ding Ding knocked down a zookeeper at Chongqing Zoo on 19 September, sparking concern after a video surfaced online. Both the caretaker and the panda were unharmed, and the zoo has continued normal operations.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

20 September 2024

By

CHINA: On Thursday (19 September), a social media user shared a video showing a giant panda named Ding Ding (丁丁) knocking down a zookeeper at Chongqing Zoo.

In response to inquiries, zoo staff confirmed that both the zookeeper and the 9-year-old panda were unharmed and that Ding Ding continues to be exhibited as usual.

The video, circulated on Chinese social media platform Weibo, shows a zookeeper noticing that Ding Ding was attempting to escape through a partially open gate. The zookeeper rushed to close the gate, which produced a loud noise.

However, the gate wasn’t fully secured, and Ding Ding can be seen trying to open it again.

Visitors alerted the zookeeper, who rushed back to shut the gate.

This action seemingly agitated the panda, who then turned its attention toward the zookeeper.

During a brief chase, Ding Ding knocked down the zookeeper.

In the footage, some visitors can be heard advising others to stay calm and avoid shouting.

This is not the first such incident at the zoo.

In April 2024, another panda knocked over another zookeeper.

The zoo’s management reported that on 23 April, at around 2:00 PM, a zookeeper was guiding two pandas, Yu Ke (渝可) and Yu Ai (渝爱), to a feeding area when they chased and knocked the zookeeper down.

Fortunately, neither the zookeeper nor the pandas were injured.

Following that event, the zoo held a safety meeting and implemented stricter feeding protocols to prevent similar incidents.

Chongqing Zoo is home to 23 giant pandas.

According to Chongqing Daily, the panda enclosure, which has undergone three rounds of expansion and renovation, now covers nearly 20,000 square meters and is one of the earliest panda breeding centers in China.

Continue Reading

Trending