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SINGAPORE: Pest control companies may fall short when it comes to proper wildlife management, an industry association acknowledged after incidents involving claims of mismanagement and criticism from the public.
“We have learned from past incidents that we lack wildlife management,” a spokesman for the Singapore Pest Management Association (SPMA) said on Sunday (September 13) in response to inquiries from the CNA.
“We view criticism positively and constructively. If there really are problems, then we will have to do our best to solve the problem. If there are incompetencies, we would also do what is necessary to improve training to increase competencies,” the spokesman said. for the SPMA, which lists more than 50 pest control companies as members on its website.
This comes after a YouTube video uploaded last Wednesday showed pest control officers allegedly mishandling a python as they pulled it out of a drain in Jurong West.
The wildlife rescue group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) criticized officials for ignoring animal welfare by stepping on the snake and aggressively pulling it, citing the images.
A similar incident made headlines in January last year after a pest control company was criticized for the way it handled a 10-foot-long python outside Tang Plaza in Orchard. The former Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority investigated the incident and determined that the agents were not mishandling the snake.
READ: ‘No malice or cruelty’: Anticimex pest control company rejects accusations of mishandling of snakes in Tang Plaza
ACRES Deputy Chief Executive Officer Kalai Vanan told CNA that he has seen cases where pest control companies mishandle snakes, bats and monitor lizards.
The National Parks Board (NParks) told the CNA that it will investigate any comments about the mishandling, adding that the public should call their Animal Response Center for cases involving injured, distressed or trapped wildlife.
“NParks contracts with animal management companies to help manage these cases,” said Dr. Benjamin Lee, director of wildlife management research at NParks.
READ: There is no mishandling of the snake in Tang Plaza, says AVA after investigation
For such cases, Kalai said people should call ACRES or NParks and not pest control companies, pointing to the public perception of reptiles as “undesirable” pests.
“As we become a city in a garden, it is important that we start raising awareness about our urban wildlife,” he said. “We cannot achieve that with pest control by handling wild animals, as it associates wild animals with being pests.”
PUBLIC SAFETY A PRIORITY
But the SPMA said public safety is a priority in any operation, regardless of the animal. While there have been local incidents of snakes biting people, ACRES has said that they remain rare.
“I agree that wildlife management is a science, something that only a handful of experts are proficient at,” the SPMA spokesman said. “However, in view of public safety, more people must do what is necessary to protect the general public.”
READ: Blowgun darts found in pigeons in Jurong West: ACRES
The SPMA said pest companies have managed snakes, monitor lizards, geckos and “pest birds” such as mynahs, crows and pigeons. However, she said wildlife calls are less frequent than those involving general pests like mosquitoes or roaches.
To prepare for wildlife management, the spokesperson said staff attend management courses conducted by regulatory bodies and seminars where professionals share skills.
“The staff has the necessary equipment, as advised by professionals or regulatory bodies,” he added. “In handling the issue of the call, pest management professionals do what is necessary as taught.”
The spokesperson acknowledged that the staff may not yet be expert in wildlife management, as they are not “rooted” in their skills.
“Training is one thing, but without practice, training will also go to waste,” he said. “Of course, there is always room for more training and education, not just in wildlife management, but in everything we do.”
READ: Detecting a python? Leave him alone, alert wildlife groups
NParks’ Dr. Lee said the agency has introduced a new Animal Handling Professional Certification Program to raise industry standards and train animal handling personnel to ensure public and staff safety as well as welfare. of the animals.
SPMA said it worked with NParks to carry out the course, which comprises basic, elective, and advanced modules covering professional wildlife management, including reptiles. The first execution of the basic module started in August.
“All animal management companies and non-governmental organizations are invited to attend these upcoming training courses if they are dealing with wildlife,” said Dr. Lee.
THE TRAINING HAS NOT WORKED
While ACRES said it welcomes training and education to improve the situation, having pest control officers manage wildlife “goes against the concept of having a biophilic city, because (the) public will see wildlife as a plague”.
“The first step in solving this problem is to start cultivating respect and appreciation for our native wildlife,” Kalai said. “This cannot be achieved when the public associates wildlife as a pest.”
READ: Burmese python detected at HDB block in Queensway
Kalai said that pest control companies have received training in the past and that this concept has failed. He said he has also met with pest control officials who are not interested in handling wild animals.
“They are often forced to drive by their superiors or clients. This often leads to mistrustful handling that can result in both the animal and the handler being injured,” he added.
Kalai said that pest control companies are for-profit businesses with a scope of work that involves “destroying pest vectors and animals.”
“Those two elements cannot satisfy the need to manage protected wild animals,” he said. “Clients and agencies like city councils should not pressure their pest control companies to take care of wildlife as well.”
“SCARY AND DANGEROUS”
A pest company told CNA that it refers wildlife-related calls to ACRES, although its website indicates that its services cover snakes.
“Sometimes they (pest control officers) are new and if they are not done professionally they can cause a big problem,” said Titus Raj, who runs Ultimate Pest Destroyers himself.
“Today, people just take a picture and put it on Facebook, and that reflects badly on the company.”
READ: Python seen in the toilet in the Upper Thomson store on 2 different occasions
Raj said pest companies could choose to manage wildlife despite a lack of training, as they are hired to clean up an area that includes general pests and reptiles like snakes. Officers could handle snakes improperly and be bitten.
Ultimately, Raj said he will not handle snakes unless he receives proper training.
“If you’re talking about a python, it’s too big,” he added. “It’s very difficult to handle it alone. Sometimes they will be very wild, so they are very scary and dangerous.”
THE KEY COMPASSION TO HANDLING WILDLIFE SAFELY
ACRES’s Mr. Kalai said that pest control companies should only deal with vectors or pests, adding that it takes “skill, knowledge and compassion” to manage wildlife safely.
In a Facebook post last Thursday, Member of Parliament for Jalan Besar GRC Josephine Teo shared how NParks sent an officer and an investigative specialist to a block in Boon Keng after residents reported that bats were flying into their homes. .
He said NParks staff assured residents that bats were not a public health hazard and shared their importance to the ecosystem. They also introduced practical measures to deter bats from flying.
READ: Boon Keng residents were told to hang ‘shiny objects’ on doors and windows after finding bats on floors
Kalai said that allaying public fears and educating people about encounters with wildlife are some ways to achieve a biophilic city, where the occupants interact or feel closely associated with other life forms in the wild.
“Promoting coexistence to minimize conflict situations, proper planning of developments, informing residents that they are moving to new properties adjacent to natural areas … is the key to achieving a truly biophilic city,” he added.
