Fewer people releasing animals into the wild during Vesak period

May 11, 2006

Time is GMT + 8 hours

Posted: 10 May 2006 2031 hrs

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.

- CNA /ls

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