SINGAPORE — More than half of 27 pet bird shops investigated had flouted the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA)’s licensing conditions, said the authority on Friday (Nov 4).
The AVA had investigated the pet bird shops following alleged offences in an Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES) report.
Enforcement will be taken against the 15 shops that had not complied with licensing conditions, for instance by not keeping cages clean and displaying sick birds.
The ACRES report had found that 13 pet bird shops failed to house birds in a good condition. The AVA said during unannounced inspections held in September and October, it found nine shops with cages with dried faecal matter, “which is indicative that the cages have not been cleaned for a long time”. The nine shops will be issued a composition fine. The cages at the four other shops were found to be clean.
While ACRES reported that 13 pet bird shops displayed sick birds and 11 shops did not provide clean drinking water for the birds displayed for sale, the AVA said sick birds were displayed at four pet bird shops and four shops were found with unclean water and containers. The shops will be issued a composition fine. The shops with the sick birds were also instructed to isolate them and send them for treatment.
Seven pet bird shops did not display their pet shop grade decals, while eight did not prominently displayed them or were obstructed, said the AVA. The former group will each be issued a letter of warning, while the latter group has been instructed to shift their decals to a more prominent location.
In response to ACRES’ identification of 655 online listings selling birds — 273 of which were related to birds protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) — the AVA said it is working with ACRES to look into these listings.
The AVA said it has met with ACRES to share its findings.
“We will not hesitate to take enforcement action against any licensees for any non-compliance detected by AVA. We will continue with our regular inspections on pet shops, including bird retailers, to ensure that they comply with our licensing conditions,” it added.
The public can report animal cruelty cases to the AVA via its 24-hour hotline, 1800-476-1600.
