Spike in ticks at facility housing animal shelters

Staff, volunteers at The Animal Lodge in Tengah worried about abnormal increase in sightings

- Ang Qing

A spike in tick sightings at The Animal Lodge in Tengah has worried some of its animal shelter tenants, The Sunday Times has learnt.

Responding to queries, the National Parks Board (NParks) said the recent warm and wet weather could have contributed to the uptick in such observations. The facility houses more than 40 animal-related establishments, including shelters, pet breeders and boarders.

The Animal Lodge was built in 2017 by the former Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority to house animal-related establishments affected by expiring land leases in Loyang, Seletar and Lim Chu Kang.

It is now managed by NParks' Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS).

Two animal shelters told ST that staff and volunteers have noticed an abnormal increase in sightings since the start of July.

Mr Ricky Yeo, the president and founder of Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD), said the recent spread appears to be more persistent than usual, after volunteers spotted several ticks on about four of its 80 dogs during the past two weekends.

Previous incidents were controlled within a few days.

He added that the rise in tick discoveries could signal the start of the first serious infestation to hit his shelter since the non-profit moved to The Animal Lodge in 2022.

He said: "We waited for a bit because a few ticks are no cause for alarm... When my staff reported there were ticks spotted on the doors of a breeder, we knew something was wrong."