SPCA gets new acting executive director
SINGAPORE – A new acting executive director for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) was appointed today (Jan 7).
Dr Jaipal Singh Gill, 33, takes over from Ms Corinne Fong, who had been the executive director of the non-profit organisation since 2011.
Ms Fong left for personal reasons, said Dr Gill.
Ms Fong had previously served as an animal adoption counsellor in SPCA and as a member of its management community before taking on the post of executive director. She left her job as a financial adviser in the private sector prior to taking on the executive director role.
Dr Gill, a veterinary surgeon, has taken on various roles in SPCA since 2008. Starting out as an inspector, he was appointed as an operations manager from 2010 to 2011, before leaving the organisation to pursue his veterinary studies in Melbourne, Australia.
When asked about his vision for the SPCA, Dr Gill, who rejoined the organisation this year, said he is looking forward to the many exciting possibilities after it completes its move to the new 7,766 sq m premises in Sungei Tengah.
“We have much more space and hopefully with the support of the public, we can expand the work we do, to help improve the lives of the animals and people in our society,” said Dr Gill.
With greater capacity to house animals comes greater operating costs. The SPCA still does not have enough funds to pay for the building cost of the new premise, and it has placed fundraising at the top of its agenda.
“As we do not receive government funding, fundraising will be a top priority and we will continue to find novel ways to do so. We will work with various groups and individuals to raise the required funds and I am confident we can reach our targets,” he said.
Dr Gill feels that there are kinder ways to manage neighbourhood animals and culling, he said, is not the answer for many “street-wise animals”.
Sterilisation is instead the most effective and humane way of keeping the stray population in check and ultimately, reducing it, while allowing the animals to live out their lives.
“SPCA and other animal welfare groups have tried our best to rehome as many community animals as we can. However, we all face space and resource constraints. We appeal to the public to open their hearts and homes to these lovely animals,” said Dr Gill.
“My research team and I are first trying to understand the common problems faced by pets in Singapore, and then find solutions to help improve their welfare. I plan to use this systematic approach for other animal welfare issues in Singapore,” he added.
