About ten years ago, I had a photography assignment at Chinatown, and when I was in front of the market, I saw a bird nest on the ground with three babies. As I understand that there’s a trimming tree in progress, it could be the nest was put there while they cut the tree branches.
I called ACRES. I mentioned needing help for the birds, and the person (lady) said they would try their best but maybe take time because they are also short of hand to handle this request. It may be that there were quite many requests on that day. I gave my phone number if they need the exact location, as they can call me anytime.
When I finished my assignment, I went back to the bird’s nest place and the nest was not there. I called ACRES, and they confirmed that it has been taken care of.
That was my first time calling ACRES and I was glad they could help.
ACRES was founded by Louis Ng.
Here is the brief story about ACRES
Louis founded ACRES in 2001 with a simple belief that anyone can make a difference but together, we can change this world and make it a better place for all. United we stand, divided we fall.
This journey started in 1998. He watched the movie Gorillas that told about Dain Fossey life story. He was amazed, captivated and inspired by her passion.
Dain Fossey gave up her good life in America to go to Africa to save gorillas.
As a little boy, she was who He aspired to become.
She was the inspiration for my first few steps towards a lifelong journey as an activist, as an advocate for the voiceless and a fighter for their rights.
In 1999, He met a little girl called Ramba. She was only about two years old but was living in a cage without her mother and was used for photography sessions. He was a zoo volunteer as the photographer.
She was beaten and often cried and hugged him during the photography sessions and he tried my best to comfort her.
He spoke up to end chimp photography sessions and the zoo’s response to him “You are just a small boy, you will never win.” He was then asked to leave, well He was fired.
He started a campaign to end the use of chimps in photography sessions and after almost 3 years, he succeeded.
Ramba was released back into the enclosure where her mother lived. She was finally reunited with Susie, her mother and they spent hours grooming each other. She no longer needed to participate in photography sessions.
She, however, escaped from the enclosure, was shot with a tranquiliser, fell into the Seletar reservoir, and drowned. It was a tragic end to a chimp who deserved so much more and who taught him so much.
She lived a life of fear and perhaps it is ironic that only through her death can she be free from it. She was only six years old when she died but it was the only way out of a life she never chose.
Ramba was the inspiration and motivation behind the setting up of ACRES.
Eunice was a The Straits Times reporter and was the reporter who covered our campaign to end chimp photography. In her last story about our campaign, she asked him for a quote following the release of Ramba back into the enclosure. He told her referring to the campaign “That was the best thing I’ve done in my life.” That was the quote she published in The Straits Times in 2001.
Eunice asked him what his plans were. He told her about my dreams of setting up an animal welfare group in Singapore. Eunice became our first board member and she helped to make ACRES possible.
Together, They found more people, finally found the minimum number of 10 people required by the Registry of Society to set up a Society and they registered in 2001.
The Late Dr. Lee Seng Gee was the first big donor for ACRES. He wrote to him as a little boy 15 years ago, telling Dr Lee about his dreams to make a difference for animals and how he has started ACRES to make this dream a reality.
Dr. Lee didn’t know about Louis, what ACRES was, but Dr. Lee sent over an $8,000 cheque.
Dr. Lee made it possible for ACRES to take its first few steps and many more steps forward over the past decade. Dr. Lee donated to help build our first Education Centre at the ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre and also donated a Wildlife Rescue Van to ACRES.
Louis met Anbarasi Boopal (Anbu) on 20 May 2006. She called the ACRES Wildlife Rescue Hotline, She informed him that she had found a star tortoise wandering around on the grass area at her home at Gillman Heights.
Anbu started volunteering at ACRES and eventually joined full-time. As a Masters graduate from NUS, she started at ACRES with a salary of $500 per month and has been leading ACRES wildlife rescue and animal care team.
Anbu now as Co-CEO of ACRES
In 2008, Louis met Minister K Shanmugam Sc at the ACRES gala dinner.
During the dinner, the Minister asked him “Tell me what obstacles”.
Louis will never forget those words and that conversation that led to a new era in animal welfare in Singapore. He was the first Minister to speak up for the animals, to actively advocate for policy changes and who stuck his neck out to make those changes. He brought animal welfare onto the national agenda and I am eternally grateful to him for the support he has given to ACRES and animal welfare in Singapore.
Louis met Kalai Vanan Balakrishnan in 2009.
Kalai accepted a job as a volunteer coordinator at the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) in 2009 but he quit within a day.
In 2011, Kalai returned to ACRES as a wildlife rescue officer.
He told Louis “I’m just joining to help you because you have very little manpower. I’m going to be here for three months at most and look for another job while I’m here.”
But from 3 months ago until now. Kalai now leads ACRES as Co-CEO with Anbu.
His Father ( Daddy )
Daddy supported every ACRES gala dinner since the first gala dinner in 2007, He supported ACRES with all his heart. He helped with that $22,500 deposit and made it possible for us to open Singapore’s first wildlife rescue centre. He was our pillar of strength.
6 months before he passed away, Daddy told The Straits Times that “The first 10 years at ACRES, it was really tough for Louis. There were a lot of problems, no funds… Maybe he has my genes – he’s very determined.”
But Daddy didn’t just pass Louis his genes and teach him about determination. He taught him and ACRES so much more.
He taught the ACRES team not to worry and to instead focus on solutions and to stay positive. He taught them to always try and not just try but try their very best. He didn’t understand much about animal welfare but he gave Louis the greatest gift anyone could give, he believed in Louis. He wasn’t just his daddy, he was also his mentor, his friend and his biggest supporter.
His fighting spirit lives on, his contributions to ACRES will never be forgotten and the lessons he taught the ACRES team will always be remembered as they continue their journey in ending animal cruelty.
Since 2021, Kalai and Anbu have been leading ACRES as Co-CEO.
Here’s our conversation with Anbu
Anbu and Kalai, how did your journal with ACRES start?
Anbu: As a student at NUS, I had listened to Louis talk about the animal protection issues once and had to call the 24hour hotline for a found illegal pet (Indian star tortoise). I started volunteering for administrative and fundraising tasks immediately when Louis shared that ACRES’s values are based on the fact that all animals can feel. It aligned with my own values and lifestyle practices for the animals and environment. Since then, I have met so many wonderful passionate individuals who have worked as staff, volunteered or donated and supported our cause. It is a very beautiful community and I am grateful to be part of this movement.
Kalai has been interested in nature and education since young. He applied for the position of volunteer coordinator at ACRES, but decided to pursue his education and started volunteering with our outreach department, helping with ACRES’s roadshows. He then volunteered with wildlife rescue operations and soon started working as full-time staff. He currently manages our 24-hour wildlife rescue and rehabilitation team, which handles over 1,700 calls to our hotline and over 350 wild animal rescues every month.
How do you learn how to rescue or take care of injured animals?
My studies were related to animals, however I had the opportunity to work with wildlife biologists and taxonomists back in India for two and a half years, before joining ACRES. Kalai’s background in design has greatly aided also in enclosure and enrichment designs, that strives to meet all the needs of our rescued animals. ACRES had also sent both of us for work attachments at other wildlife rescue centres, and several workshops and conferences to adopt/learn husbandry and handling techniques for diverse species of wildlife.
When it comes to wildlife, we continually update our knowledge to improve our capabilities, observe the animals, the situation first before proceeding to take action. Unlike companion animals such as cats and dogs (where the owner can tell that the cat has not peed for a few days, or the dog hasn’t eaten for a day), it is almost impossible to get a wild animal’s history of what he or she has gone through. Patience, observation and careful considerations are important when it comes to injured wildlife.
Have you ever had a moment to give up? If yes, what made you overcome that?
Several such moments. We think of who we really work for: the animals and the community. What millions of animals go through in terms of pain and suffering every single day, for humankind, whether food, clothing, cosmetic testing, urban conflict, entertainment…. What advocates like us go through is nothing compared to that. The animals drive us, and people’s support for the animals keeps that drive alive.
Any most memorable stories when you handle animals?
Reunions are the best memories. Often good-intentioned people may bring them home thinking these animals need rescue, but their parents might be around. Reuniting a lost animal with his/her parents is the best possible outcome for them. We have had opportunities to witness hundreds of reunions of baby birds, baby squirrels, even baby bats, baby otters with their mother/father/family. Those moments mean a million dollars to us.
For the younger generation that wants to follow their dream like you did (animal lover), what’s your advice for them?
Thankfully, this generation has access to a lot of materials either published or virtual. We would encourage them to keep themselves updated on the happenings by following organisations on social media (not accounts of people owning exotic wildlife and posting cute videos), following news and also start practising animal-friendly options in their own lifestyle. Most importantly, be aware of local issues, be empowered with actions that an individual can take locally in our own backyards. Practising is the first step of advocating for a change.
Any advice for what we should do if we encounter wild animals that come to our housing estate?
Keeping a safe distance is the key to any wild animal that you are not familiar with. Wild animals in Singapore will always tend to stay away from humans unless people have conditioned them to food provision. So feeding is a big no; manage your food wastes properly that doesn’t give access to these animals.
As we green our city, encounters with wildlife are inevitable, so all of us have the responsibility to equip ourselves with wildlife etiquette (do’s and don’ts) when coming across wildlife.
If the wild animal is in distress, displaced or injured, please call our 24h wildlife rescue hotline 97837782 or NParks for assistance.
Any advice if we found any injured animals?
As above. Please help us help these animals, by sending a photo or video when we request it. After assessment over the phone, we may often seek help from the public asking to send the animal over. Not only will it help to get attention to the animal on time, but also allows us to navigate to the next case requiring urgent attention from us.
Never bring home baby animals, without assessing the situation, checking for parents or having complete knowledge on what has happened (for example, the mother was killed by a predator, etc,.).
If you want to find out about ACRES please check this wonderful website:
https://acres.org.sg/
If you want to become a volunteer:
https://acres.org.sg/volunteer/volunteer-with-us/
Donation
In the 2019 financial year (ending 31st March 2019), our amazing volunteers clocked over 18,300 hours; our education team were directly involved with 72 student projects, and reached out to over 42,000 individuals, through over 140 roadshows and talks; our rescue team handled 9,811 calls to our hotline, leading to rescue of over 3,300 wild animals in distress. Our Animal Crime Investigation Unit (ACIU) handled over 230 cases related to wildlife trade and cruelty and the wildlife management team engaged community through over 100 cases of human-wildlife conflict in Singapore.
Click here to donate: https://www.giving.sg/acres
Sponsor
The ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre houses over 150 exotic animals, all victims of the cruel illegal wildlife trade. For as little as $1 a day ($30 a month), you can help to cover the medical expenses, food, general care and enrichment for these animals with our Wildlife Supporter Scheme (WSS).
https://acres.org.sg/support-us-2/wss/
If you want to make their wish come true
https://acres.org.sg/support-us-2/our-wishlist/
Note: Photos courtesy of ACRES
