Does wildlife exist in Singapore?
In 2017, we followed Kalai, staff of ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre, on his journey for a day as a wildlife rescue officer. Watch the video below!
Recently, we caught up with Anbu, Deputy Chief Executive of Advocacy at ACRES, to find out how the Covid-19 situation has affected their operations.
How Volunteering Has Changed
“We used to encourage animal care volunteers, also known as “Team Sanctuary”,” Anbu explains. Anyone aged 14 and above can help take care of the rescued wild animals, such as feeding, cleaning their enclosures, documenting their conditions and more. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this volunteer opportunity has been paused. Instead, staff have devoted more time to take on these activities outside of their work scope.
There are also rescue volunteers at ACRES. Prior to Covid-19, wildlife rescue volunteers were trained every two months to assist with taking calls and rescuing wild animals in Singapore such as birds, crocodiles, monkeys, wild boars, and more.
Despite there being an increased number of calls this year, such as over 1,200 a month, ACRES could not continue training new volunteers or engaging volunteers who could not commit for more shifts.
On-hand, ACRES currently has a pool of 15 regular volunteers who take on 8-hour shifts. Anbu is grateful for the resilience in both her staff and volunteers. Anbu attributes the increased calls to how more have taken the time to observe animals and appreciate nature while working from their home. “Majority of the calls are regarding birds. As when a bird has crashed on the floor, it is clear that the bird needs help,” Anbu shares. They also receive calls about reptiles, snakes and monitor lizards!
How Fundraising Has Changed
Another setback during the Covid-19 period has been fundraising as intended. Typically, ACRES organises an annual gala dinner where they fundraise approximately $140,000 to cover 3 months of operations.
Nevertheless ACRES has adapted to the new normal through an increase in donations online that significantly helped to provide financial support. With the transaction fee for Giving.sg waived during this period, Anbu shares that this has been effective in attracting supporters to donate via the Giving.sg platform!
As part of The Giving Trees of SG Cares Giving Week, ACRES has created the fundraising campaign “Journey to be Wild Again: Rescue, Rehabilitate, Release”. Find out how you can donate and what impact it brings here.
What’s Next For ACRES
ACRES will be holding a Virtual Wildlife Rescue Centre Tour on Saturday 5 December from 11am to 12.30pm! Meet the wild animals who have found a temporary home at ACRES and get a glimpse of what happens to animals that are rescued.
Anbu shares that it is truly one-of-a-kind and exclusive. In physical tours, there are more restrictions in place as animals need to be away from people in order to recover and rehabilitate back into the wild. Through a virtual tour, you may have exclusive up-close access to the treatment room as well as native rehabilitation and iguana sanctuary – without compromising the animal’s welfare.
Register for the virtual Wildlife Rescue Centre Tour here!
ACRES’ Virtual Wildlife Rescue Tour is part of an exciting line-up of events at SG Cares Giving Week’s first ever virtual Giving Hub. Find out more about other events here: https://cityofgood.sg/giving-week/giving-hub/
