Target: Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for National Development, Singapore
Goal: Protect animals from painful electric shocks used in the name of training.
In a recent parliamentary session, Senior Minister of State for National Development, Tan Kiat How, disclosed his personal trial of electric collars, illustrating their painful impact. This revelation came amidst discussions on refining guidelines against invasive animal training devices. Notably, these devices, including electric collars, pose significant risks to animal welfare, prompting a reevaluation of their use in training practices.
Furthermore, Nee Soon GRC Member of Parliament, Louis Ng, highlighted the distress and potential physical abuse animals endure through electric collar usage. Such practices, allegedly causing unnecessary pain and suffering, urgently call for reconsideration. Despite existing efforts by the National Parks Board (NParks) and the Rehoming Adoption Workgroup (RAWG) to standardize animal training and welfare practices, enforceable measures against electric collars remain absent.
Given the evidence of distress and harm these devices can inflict, as corroborated by Tan’s personal experiences, there is a critical need for enforceable guidelines. Demand the establishment of stringent, legally binding regulations to govern the use of electric collars in animal training, ensuring the protection and humane treatment of animals in Singapore.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Minister Tan Kiat How,
Your candid disclosure regarding the pain experienced from electric collar testing casts a stark light on the urgent need for reform in animal training methods. It is commendable that such personal trials were undertaken to grasp the severity of the issue firsthand. Nevertheless, the distress these devices inflict on animals, as pointed out by MP Louis Ng, underscores a significant gap in our legal framework regarding animal welfare.
The development of guidelines by NParks, while a step in the right direction, falls short of the enforceable actions necessary to prevent potential abuse. The reliance on community adoption of good practices without legal backing may not suffice in curbing the use of invasive training devices. Hence, we urge for the translation of these guidelines into mandatory regulations, safeguarding animals from unnecessary suffering.
As custodians of animal welfare, we have the responsibility to ensure that our practices do not contribute to their distress. The advocacy for enforceable measures against the use of electric collars in animal training is not merely a legislative request but a moral imperative. We kindly implore your immediate action to implement stringent regulations, reinforcing Singapore’s commitment to humane animal treatment.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Maheshwar Reddy
This is not how you train an animal, this is how you abuse an animal and it needs to stop. You may get compliance from the poor victim, but it’s because of fear and nothing else, this is not a viable or acceptable training method it’s sanctioned abuse.