A ride on the wild side

Work can be a roller-coaster ride for the wildlife rescue team from the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society as it races to save creatures in peril. Straits Times photojournalist Shintaro Tay tails the team to see what it takes to save and release Singapore's wild animals.

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Towel in hand, Ms Karina Lim bent down and gently scooped up a dark greyish-brown fur ball lying flat by a pillar at a void deck of a housing block in Hougang.

The sleepy animal, which turned out to be a young common palm civet, looked around with curious black eyes and sniffed a few times. Perhaps it was confused by the daylight, as civets are nocturnal creatures that typically live in trees and can often be found on rooftops.

Ms Lim, 23, a senior wildlife coordinator at the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), explained that the weeks-old baby civet had likely been separated from its mother while foraging in the nearby fruit trees.

As it would be unable to survive on its own, it was taken to the Acres Wildlife Rescue Centre in Jalan Lekar for care. After attempts over three days, it was successfully reunited with its family.

Whenever possible, healthy native animals are released back into suitable habitats immediately, while injured animals receive treatment at the centre before being returned to the wild.

Earlier that morning, someone had called the Acres wildlife rescue hotline about the civet sighting. Every day, a dedicated team drives across Singapore, responding to wildlife distress cases reported via the hotline, which operates from 7am to 1am.

Calls to the Acres hotline rose from 9,800 in the 2019 financial year to 15,203 in 2024, reflecting more human-wildlife interactions in Singapore and other factors. The team deals with an average of 10 cases a day, rescuing animals including native species like mynahs, pigeons, pythons, monitor lizards, civets and wild boars.