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  Straits Times 13 May 06
Fewer cases of animals released into the wild
by Theresa Tan

NParks website news release 9 May 06
Think Again Before You Release Them
Release of animals into the wild does more harm than good

ChannelnewsAsia 10 May 06
Fewer people releasing animals into the wild during Vesak period
By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : The National Parks Board (NParks) says fewer people are releasing animals into the wild during the Vesak period.

It is hoping this downward trend will continue ahead of Vesak Day celebrations on May 12.

During Vesak Day celebrations, some buddhists would release animals such as fish into the reservoirs. The act symbolises compassion and respect for life.

But such actions do more harm than good to the animals. "The animals are not able to fend for themselves. Imagine this, you're kept in a homely environment where you're given food everyday, then all of a sudden, you go into the wild. But where's the food? So in the end, they die of starvation," said Sharon Chan from the National Parks Board.

Last year, NParks saw only seven cases where people released animals into the wild, a significant drop from 44 in 2004.

To keep the cases low, some 100 park rangers and volunteers will comb the reservoirs and nature reserves over the Vesak Day holiday.

Animals released into the wild such as the reservoir die within a day and their decomposed bodies affect the quality of the water. Things are made much worse if the animals are sick with diseases.

Some of the common animals released are fish and frogs.

The Singapore Buddhist Federation is also educating its devotees to do the right thing. "The best way is to release fishes already caught in the kelong, and release back into the deep sea. For freshwater fishes, there are fishes kept in the tanks at seafood restaurants. You can buy them and release them into the ponds. They are ponds in certain areas that allow people to release fishes there," said Sik Kwang Sheng, secretary-general of Singapore Buddhist Federation.

Those caught releasing animals into the wild can be fined up to $50,000.

Straits Times 13 May 06
Fewer cases of animals released into the wild
by Theresa Tan

BUDDHISTS seem to be heeding the message not to release animals into the wild on Vesak Day.

Yesterday, about 100 staff of the National Parks Board and Public Utilities Board and volunteers patrolled nature spots to discourage the Vesak Day practice, but spotted only five different groups of people trying to free animals.

NParks staff and volunteers have monitored nature spots on Vesak Day since 2004.

On that day, captive animals such as birds, fish and turtles are often set free as Buddhists believe it to be a gesture of compassion and repentance for sin.

In fact, they are sending the creatures to an almost certain death. NParks estimates that 90 per cent of them die within a day.

Yesterday's mission to persuade people not to set these creatures loose was codenamed Operation No Release. NParks volunteer Vilma D'rozario stopped three men in their tracks yesterday morning in Upper Seletar Reservoir Park. The trio had intended to free turtles meant for the cooking pot.

Miss D'rozario, a teacher trainer in her 40s, said: 'I felt uncomfortable telling people not to practise a religious belief they hold dear, but I strongly feel our natural habitats are also very important.' After listening to Miss D'rozario, the trio decided to take the turtles back to the temple and ask the monk for advice on what to do with them, she said.

It helped that she reminded the men that releasing animals is against the law and anyone caught doing so in reserves and parks can be fined up to $50,000 or be jailed up to six months, or both.

NParks assistant director of Central Nature Reserve Sharon Chan explained that released animals can also affect the ecosystem, as they compete for food with native breeds living in the wild.

Besides the possibility of the animals carrying diseases, another big concern is that most freed animals do not survive on their own in the wild.

NParks website news release 9 May 06
Think Again Before You Release Them
Release of animals into the wild does more harm than good

With Vesak Day approaching, the National Parks Board (NParks) and PUB, the national water agency, remind the public not to release animals into nature reserves and reservoirs.

While releasing these animals may be well-intentioned, it actually does the animals more harm than good. It also upsets the ecological balance.

Ms. Sharon Chan, Assistant Director of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, explains, "Many of the released animals, such as rabbits and hamsters, will not survive in the wild as they do not have the natural instincts and ability to forage for food or fend for themselves." It is estimated that 90% of released animals die within a day.

As the released animals are generally not native to Singapore, those that survive can adversely affect the local ecology. For example, the red-eared terrapins are known to breed prolifically and compete with local terrapins for food and space.

Releasing animals into our reservoirs also affects our water quality. Said Mr Yap Kheng Guan, PUB's Director for 3P Network Department, "We understand the good intentions behind releasing these animals into the reservoirs. However, the released animals rarely survive and their decomposed bodies affect the water quality."

To raise public awareness on the harm of releasing animals into the nature reserves and reservoirs, NParks will be working with nature and religious groups as well as volunteers to conduct educational and outreach activities. Brochures will be distributed and posters put up to help spread the message.

Staff and volunteers will also be stationed at various locations to encourage and advise people not to release animals. Similarly PUB's rangers and its MacRitchie Volunteers will be at MacRitchie Reservoir as well as other locations to stop people from releasing animals into the reservoirs and to help educate the public on the detrimental effects of such acts on our water quality.
links
Letters to the press in 2005 about animal release during Vesak Day
Ashley's email about volunteer efforts to stop release of animals.
Releasing animals: good or bad? a pamphlet used during efforts to educate people NOT to release animals particularly during Vesak Day.
Global Invasive Species Database of the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group: introduction to the issue, top 100 worst invasive species and more.
Invasive species weblog updated reports around the world on the impact of alien introduced species.
Invasive species on the Conservation Science Institute: an introduction to this global problem with brief descriptions of major species.
Related articles on Singapore: animal release into our wild places impact, issues, efforts, discussions
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