SINGAPORE: An undercover investigation of 36 Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA)-licensed shops from August to September this year found that more than half of them did not comply with AVA’s license conditions for pet shops.
The Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES), which released the results of their survey on Friday (Nov 4), claimed that 19 of the shops breached at least one of the conditions governing the welfare of the animals. These include failing to provide housing in good condition and clean drinking water for the birds.
Thirteen of them displayed birds that suffered from feather loss or visible lesions on their bodies or tails, while 17 sold bird traps for about S$70 each even though it is illegal to poach wild animals in Singapore.
ACRES Deputy Chief Executive Anbarasi Boopal pointed out that one in three of the shops surveyed actually possessed an “A” grade under AVA’s pet shop grading scheme.
She called for a review current licence conditions as well as stricter enforcement of existing regulations.
As part of the survey, ACRES also said it found 665 advertisements offering birds for sale on Facebook and three online platforms from June to August. There are no regulations governing the welfare and ownership of these animals, it added.
