http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110712-288642.html
THE Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) will be moving to a new home in Sungei Tengah in three years' time from its Mount Vernon abode of 27 years.
Its lease, which expires in October next year, has been extended by two years while the new site is being constructed.
The new place, spanning over 0.8ha - about double its current space - will have new areas such as a play area for dogs and counselling rooms for pet owners, SPCA executive director Deirdre Moss revealed.
"Much of it is still under discussion, but it's definitely going to be a 'green' building," added Ms Moss, who will be retiring from her post at the end of this month.
She was speaking at an event that celebrated Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin's first visit to the SPCA yesterday.
There, Brigadier-General (NS) Tan announced that a Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme will start this month to help manage the population of neighbourhood cats.
The joint project by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) and four town councils will see Sembawang- Nee Soon, Tampines,
Ang Mo Kio, and Marine Parade constituencies targeted.
Ms Moss noted that each month at the SPCA animals are taken in by the hundred, not all of which can be put up for adoption.
The remaining animals, which include the injured and strays, are put down.
"We used to take in 500 cats (a month), now it's been halved... With sterilisation of strays picking up with government support, I think we'll see an even further drop in the next few years, which means fewer animals need to be put down," she said.
She also noted that the adoption rate for cats is on the rise.
A 50 per cent subsidy will be granted by AVA for the cost of sterilisation and microchipping of cats under the sterilisation programme.
As for the other constituencies, which will retain autonomy in handling stray cats, BG Tan urged against culling.
"For the moment, we will focus on...working with the four constituencies... Hopefully, that will be a model that we can then replicate elsewhere," he said.
A review by the Ministry of National Development, the Housing Board and AVA will also begin this month.
It will focus on key concerns relating to dogs and cats - such as the keeping of cats in HDB flats.
The review is timely, as pet ownership has been on the rise, said BG Tan.
However, the number of complaints of animal abuse has increased, said Ms Moss. Despite increasing public awareness,
there are still "lots of pets neglected in our society", she said.
[email protected]
