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TIME FOR A MORATORIUM ON CULLING?

“One way to do so is to have a temporary moratorium on culling and to embark on a rigorous evaluation of alternatives.

The aim should be to see if more humane methods that do not involve killing the animals can achieve the same ends, and whether these should be given greater weight in future.

Acres, for example, saw some promising results from its programme to herd monkeys away from homes, but cut short its experiment due to lack of funds.

Between September and December last year, it worked with the Upper Bukit Timah condominium Summerhill’s management and security guards to herd the primates away.

Advisory notices were distributed to residents on how to interpret monkey behaviour and prevent them from stealing food.

Acres executive director Louis Ng said he understands that no culling has been done at the condominium since the experiment started, but the monkeys are no longer causing trouble.

The group also found that fruit trees and improper garbage disposal were what attracted the monkeys to the premises.

The results, however, could have been compromised by the culling in other parts of the neighbourhood. More information is also needed on whether complaints were made to the AVA or other authorities.

Other tests could include correlating the installation of monkey-proofed bins to the change in the number of complaints in an area, in the absence of culling.”

http://news.asiaone.com/news/asian-opinions/cull-or-not-cull-pesky-monkeys

Source: http://news.asiaone.com/news/asian-opinions/cull-or-not-cull..

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ACRES

ACRES (Animal Concerns Research & Education Society) is a pioneering Singapore-based charity and Institution of Public Character, founded by Singaporeans in 2001 with the aim of promoting animal welfare.

ACRES has six focus areas: Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, Wildlife Crime Investigation, Zoo Animal Welfare, Humane Education, Community Outreach and Promoting Cruelty-Free Living.

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