Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Public Perception of SPCA
Public Perception of SPCA
Group Members:
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Contents
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1. Introduction
There is an increase of cases of animal abuse in Singapore nowadays. This lead to the
founding of more organizations which aim is to prevent animal abuses. One of the more
famous among these organizations is the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(SPCA). We will be finding out whether the SPCA is doing enough for the animals from the
public perception.
2) To find out whether the public think that SPCA is doing a good job.
*Good job means that the animals are taken care of and there is a healthy environment
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2. Background Research
The Singapore SPCA started at around the 1800s and a report from the Straits Times Press
dated October 3rd 1878 said that the number of cases brought under the notice of the
animals and those unfit for labour were not made to work until their condition improved.
After the Japanese occupation of Singapore in 1947, the RSPCA as it was known then was
revived by an Englishwoman, Miss Lucia Bach in unwanted stray animals and at the same
In the early 1950s, through the generosity of a Eurasian lady, strays were housed on her
In 1954, the RSPCA was set up and moved to Orchard Road. This move was facilitated by
the presence of an RSPCA official from England to engineer the operation and train one of
the staff as an inspector. The premises were donated its first official vehicle. At the same time,
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In 1959, the Singapore RSPCA became SPCA when Singapore ceased to be a crown colony
in that year.
In 1976 from the Orchard Road premises, a clinic was set up for the public. The facilities also
were used to treat the Society’s animal and carry out sterilizations which since 1969, was
After Singapore underwent massive changes with the development of our Housing, people
were relocated from the kampongs into these flats. Thus, many pets, mainly cats and dogs
The SPCA, the Ministry of national Development, the Primary Production Department (now
AVA) and the Dog unit at the City Veterinary Centre co-operated and launched a special
programme to collect animals from areas being cleared for development before occupants
It was hard work as it involved the removal of owned animals from people forced to relinquish
In 1984, SPCA moved from the orchard Road land, which had been acquired by the
Government to 10 kilometers from the city at 31 Mount Vernon Road. The new offices and
SPCA could carry out its works over the years due to the public’s donations and the constant
stream of volunteers who come together and help in any way possible.
Promoting respect for animals and a caring attitude towards pets by their owners is a priority
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of SPCA Singapore. SPCA hopes that in the long term, there will be a significant reduction in
Educational booklets on cat and dog have been produced along with leaflets on pet care for
smaller animals which are distributed to the community. Articles on pet care have also been
People did not know much about the SPCA until the 1970’s. Media participation in the 1980’s
and 1990’s however, has been very good. There had been pet care columns in the
newspapers .Many articles are also featured about SPCA. Television coverage has
The SPCA intends to reach out to more of the general public to gain the support that is
needed to continue its work in the years to come. [ CITATION Sin09 \l 1033 ]
The SPCA provides various animal welfares services to the community including:
A 24 hour ambulance service for sick, injured and very young animals
Adoption programme
Running an animal shelter and supporting quarantine for unwanted , abused and
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abandoned animals
1) Neglect
2) Intentional cruelty
3) Abandonment
2.3.1 Neglect
Neglect is the failure of providing adequate survival necessities for the animal or ignores
them.
Starvation
Dehydration
Inadequate shelter
Parasite infection
Severely overgrown nails( To the extent where nails curl either under or over the
hooves/paws)
Intentional cruelty refers to the act of causing physical harm deliberately to the animals.
Some of the examples of intentional cruelty and outcomes that appears due to it:
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Owner hitting or physically abusing the animal
Limping
Statistic
2.3.3 Abandonment
A person commits the crime of animal abandonment if the person intentionally, knowingly or
providing for that animal's continued care. Most people don’t realize that it is illegal to release
animals into the wild. Leaving an animal alone with no food supplies so that it dies slowly and
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[ CITATION Aud10 \l 1033 ]
Dogs
Dog owners can keep their dogs healthy by doing daily exercises. Doing daily exercise is
good for the dogs as it maintains their muscles, joints and bonds healthy. It also can prevent
stiff joints and muscles aches. Exercise is especially important for the dogs as it helps the
organs to remain healthy and function normally. Research shows that dogs that get adequate
exercise daily tend to look good, feel good and live longer.
Dog owners are encouraged walking their dogs. This keeps the dogs healthy as it helps
them to exercise their muscles and joints. This can also close up the relationship between
Training the dogs can also act as an exercise for the dogs. Dog owners can let the dogs
fetch the things they threw. This can also make the dogs behave better as they become more
Dog owners are reminded to feed them and let them drink enough water as well to
Cats
Cat Owners can keep their cats healthy by letting it do daily exercise. In the natural
environment, cats are animals which spend their days hunting their prey. They jump, run,
hide, pounce until they completed their kills. As cats are now kept indoors, they do not have to
hunt for their prey, therefore they lack exercises. Hence, it is best for cat owners to let their
cats have the opportunities for active times to make them strong and healthy. This can
achieve through exercises as they make the cat more muscular and trim.
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Cat owners can design a play area in their house, where their cats can run, jump and
play. Cats are curious about things and they like to play and engaged their minds, therefore,
pet owners can buy toys for their cats to play with. As cats love toys with moments, a good
example of a toy pet owners can buy for a cat is a ball as it move easily when cats push them
Cat owners are reminded to feed them and let them drink enough water as well to ensure
Rabbit
Rabbit owners can keep their rabbits healthy and happy by letting them have lots of
activities. Rabbits need to have enough space and time to roam outside of its cage for a few
hours to keep them healthy and happy. They need to hop, jump and played as well. Rabbits
without much activity will become destructive in their behavior; therefore it is good for rabbit
owners to let their rabbits roam outside of their cages. As rabbits are a social able creature, it
is good for pet owners to locate their rabbits in a place where there are attentions and
activities. This can let the rabbits feel that they are a part of the pet owners’ family and also
Rabbit owners are reminded to feed them and let them drink enough water as well to
Birds
Bird owners can keep their birds healthy by letting them do daily exercises. Birds are
active creatures and they need space and time everyday to fly out of their cages. This can
helps the birds to be healthy as they can move freely about when they are let out of cages
and not get caged inside the cages everyday, which restricted their movements.
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To let their birds have a healthy lifestyle, pet owners can prepare a cage which has
perches at different height. This can bring some fun to the bird’s life as they can hop and jump
around. As birds are very sociable creatures, most birds want a lot of daily attentions and
interaction. Birds’ owners can teach their birds to wink, whistle, and even imitating their
speech. This will keep the birds active and stimulated. Bird owners are encouraged to award
them by scratching their head when they are successful in doing certain things. Keeping birds
healthy and stimulated is very important as it helps them maintain their health.
Bird owners are reminded to feed them and let them drink enough water as well to
Small animals:
Pet owners can keep small animals healthy by letting them do daily exercises and
problem solving activities. Doing exercise and problem solving activities can keep small
animals healthy as it can help to keep them fit and exercise their brain more.
Owners of small animals need to remember that small animals need lot of water as they
are small in size, which lead them to dehydrate quickly. The best way to let small animals
drink from their cages is to mount a bottle on a cage where the small animals can sip
whenever they are thirsty. This is not only convenient for the owners, but also it is convenient
for the small animals. Pet owners also need to remember to feed the animals on time.
Older Pets:
Pet owners can keep older pets healthy by giving them daily massages to relieve
stiffness and relax muscles. Also, pet owners must give them a soft ground to lie on, rather
than the floor. It is good to use a cloth or a blanket to act as a soft ground.
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Pet owners need to consider the pets’ feelings. They must try to make it easier for pets to
move around the house and when feeding it, make sure it is easy for pets to reach the food
as their bones are stiffer and unable to bend so well. It is advised for pet owners to place their
Pet owners can help their pets to brush their teeth and wipe away their mucus. It is good
to help their pets to clean their ears and wipe the skin near their eyes gently.
To ensure that a home is pet safe, make sure that a pet has an adequate supply of water and
food if it lives outdoors. Other than that, pet owners are advised to bring their pets indoors
during hot days so that they won’t suffer from heat stroke. It is good for pet owners to have a
restriction as to where the pets can roam. This will help to discipline and control the pets. If a
pet lives indoor, pet owners are to ensure that there is no direct blasting from the air-cons or
fans to the pets. Also make sure there is no direct heat radiation on the pets. These will cause
discomfort and anxiety in the pet, causing them an early death. It is good for the pet owners to
provide a warm spot in the house where pets can retreat to when the weather gets bad
outdoor.
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3. Methodology
Our group went about collecting data and information using the following 4 methods:
3) Interviewing
4) Conducting a survey
The main reason that we use internet for the research is that it is convenient and time-
consuming. Every member in our group has computer and internet access, therefore we
thought that it will be convenient for everyone in the group and each of us will be able to do
our part. However, we could not fully depend on the information we get online as not all
sources are accurate. There are sources that are biased; therefore we still need other
We use newspaper reports for the research as they are more accurate sources
compare to the sources that can be obtained on the internet. Some of the articles are also
3.3 Interviewing
We use the interviewing method for the research as we can obtain more detailed
information for the subject that we are researching about. Even though it is quite troublesome
to prepare the questions for the interview (as we need to decide whether the questions are
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good enough), the results that we get by using interviewing method is quite amazing, as we
get those information that neither the Internet nor newspaper reports covers.
We use the conducting a survey method as we want to know what others opinion are.
By doing this, we can try to think from several point of view and not just limited our research.
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4. Analysis and Discussion
21%
Reason:
what it does.
Our View:
organization.
81%
Respondents had visited or heard that SPCA is very
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impression towards the service provided by SPCA.
Our View:
Our View:
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dogs that are relatively large in size had trouble
Our View:
and companionship.
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Do You think SPCA is providing the
animals with healthy and proper meals?
Most respondents think that SPCA is providing the
Also, the animals that died after the care of SPCA are
very little.
Our View:
about the food and they provide the top quality food
for them.
91%
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Is SPCA doing enough to publicize the
plight of the animals?
Most respondents think that SPCA is not doing
effective.
Our View:
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care for these pitiful animals.
Our View:
SPCA.
38% Reason:
Yes, I would
like to do so.
62%
No, I would
not like to do
so.
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Would you leave an abandoned animal
you found along the road in the care of
SPCA?
38%
Yes, I would.
Reason:
No, I would
62%
not.
Our Views:
Conclusion: Overall, from this research, we found out that the overall perspective towards the
SPCA is positive. Just last year, SPCA adopted 7678 total amount of animals. However, only 1200
were adopted, which is 15% from the number of total animals, with some of the other animals
being put to rest by euthanasia. SPCA is limited in their funding as they are not funded by the
government. This disallows them to publicize the plight of these animals on a large scale. SPCA’s
funding mainly comes from donation drives. SPCA is currently organizing donation drives in hope
to raise enough funds to rent a newer and larger land. Currently, the cages where the pets were
kept are limited in space, especially for the larger dogs such as the Dalmatians and huskies. We
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also learn from the volunteers that they feed these pets 3times per day. In the morning, they clean
the cages regularly. However, when the pet dirties the cages in the day, the volunteers would
immediately clean up the cage. Hence, cages are kept clean at all times in SPCA. SPCA has a
strong background in terms of public support, with over600 volunteers and 30workers. Around
half of them are active volunteers that help the SPCA on a daily basis.
5. Limitations
1) Lack of teamwork.
This is one of the team minor problems. even though we will hand up the task assign each
week, there are still times which group members forgot to bring their work. . We overcome
this problem by giving them 2 reminders on the 2nd last and last day before we have our
project work. The reminder on the 2nd last day before project work is to remind them that they
need to do their task provided that they have not start yet, and the reminder on the day just
before the project work is use to remind them that they have to bring their work for project
2) Busy schedules.
Everyone had a different schedule, so it was hard to find a onetime where all the members
are free. Sometimes, even Saturdays and Sundays were booked for most of us. To overcome
this, we voted and picked one day where everyone have to meet up. This was especially
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It was hard to summarize the information into critical points .This was mainly due to the fact
that there is a lot of information regarding to the same topic on the Internet. To solve this. We
Most of us did not know how to use “Prezi” properly. To overcome this, we just went to search
We are unable to change the type and colours of the font alone as it will change the
background too. It caused a lot of trouble for us as we had wanted to use certain fonts to
highlight the crux of the presentation. To overcome this, we gave and took when doing the
When we visited the SPCA for further interview with the education officer, we were shocked to
see how cramped and small the place was. This thus made it difficult for a variety of photos to
be taken. To overcome this, we decided to use the posters available there to supplement
7) Credibility of statistics.
As our topic is for the SPCA in Singapore, it is difficult to find sources that consist only of
Singapore SPCA statistic and information. A lot of the sources are from the SPCA of other
country. To overcome this, we checked the information with reliable sources and ensured that
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the statistics was local and not from overseas, as we did not want misleading statistics, we
The research on the public perception of SPCA shows that SPCA is providing care,
companionship as well as a clean environment for the animals. This shows that SPCA is
doing a good job. Since SPCA is doing quite a good job, we can told the public that it is safe
to call SPCA if they see any injured or cruelty cases towards animals. We can also tell them
to adopt pets from SPCA as they are quite clean and not as dirty as what other people think.
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Appendix
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Bibliography
Audubon Society of Portland. (n.d.). Animal Abandonment. Retrieved May 23, 2010, from
Audubon Society of Portland:
http://audubonportland.org/backyardwildlife/brochures/abandonment
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from Francis Veterinary Hospital P.C.: http://www.francisvet.com/education.php
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Ong, A. (2010, April 18). Making life easier for older pets. THE SUNDAY TIMES-Pets Corner ,
C3.
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