SINGAPORE — Amendments to the Wild Animals and Birds Act (Waba), now called the Wildlife Act, were passed with broad support among Members of Parliament (MP) and Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP) on Wednesday (March 25).

First tabled in Parliament on March 6, the changes make it illegal to feed all wildlife in Singapore. They also ban the release of wildlife anywhere on the island, among other things.

The Private Member’s Bill was introduced by Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency MP Louis Ng, who is the founder and chief executive of wildlife rescue group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres).

A Private Member’s Bill allows any MP to initiate legislation. There have been at least five Private Member’s Bills which were passed into law since Singapore's independence, including the Maintenance of Parents Act and the Prevention Of Human Trafficking Act which were passed in 1995 and 2014 respectively. 

A total of seven MPs and NMPs debated the Bill, with six expressing support. Ms Sun Xueling, who is Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development, also spoke in support of the proposed changes on behalf of her ministry.

The sole dissenter was NMP Walter Theseira who cited “substantive” concerns over how the Act will be implemented.

He, along with the other MPs, raised concerns over the implementation of the Act, especially over how it may unfairly penalise well-meaning citizens and those who release animals into the wild as part of their religious practice.

SOME KEY CHANGES

With the change, the Act will make it illegal to feed all wild animals throughout Singapore, and not just pigeons and wild animals in nature reserves, unless approved by the Director-General of wildlife management of the National Parks Board (NParks).

• It will be illegal to release animals in all parts of Singapore, and not just in nature reserves and reservoirs, unless approved by the Director-General

• Officials from NParks will have the power to dismantle and dispose of unattended and unauthorised traps in any place

• The Director-General will have the power to issue directions to developers to carry out wildlife-related measures to safeguard wildlife, public health or safety, or the health of the ecosystem. Non-compliance may result in a fine of up to S$50,000, or six months’ jail, or both.

KEY CONCERNS RAISED BY MPs AND NMPs

#1 Impact on well-meaning acts

Bukit Batok MP Murali Pillai asked how the proposed changes will apply to acts of kindness, such as if a person feeds and releases a wounded eagle.

“Such acts will not change wildlife behaviour, nor will it cause disamenities or ecological degradation… but technically these persons may have committed such offences,” said Mr Murali.

In response, Ms Sun said NParks will take “a reasonable approach” to assess each situation.

Building on Ms Sun’s point, Mr Ng also called for those who wanted to help injured animals to call NParks or Acres, instead of attempting to rescue the animals themselves as untrained human intervention could cause more harm than good.

“I understand that NParks is actively building up the capacity and capabilities of the wildlife management industry, so rest assured that there will be trained people ready to provide these necessary services,” he added.

#2 Impact on religious practices

On the provisions governing the release of wildlife, Dr Theseira asked how the proposed changes will address the “sensitive” issue of wildlife released in religious practices.

Responding to his query, Mr Ng said that extensive consultations with religious groups on the practice of mercy release had found that the practice had fallen out of favour with many of them. Mercy release is the practice of releasing animals from captivity, with the belief that liberation brings good karma.  

Ms Sun also said that NParks is already working with national water agency PUB to discourage people from releasing animals into nature parks, nature reserves and reservoirs. She added that NParks will continue to work with religious communities to find alternatives to mercy release, such as tree planting and volunteering at animal shelters.

#3 Directions against developers to implement safeguard measures

NMP Anthea Ong asked if the Director-General will now have the power to halt the development of nature reserves which have been de-gazetted.

Addressing Ms Ong’s concerns, Ms Sun said that the Act does not deal with the stopping of developments, but instead allows the Director-General to direct a developer to implement wildlife-related measures.

Non-compliance with such measures will result in penalties such as a fine or imprisonment, said Ms Sun.