ACRES (Animal Concerns Research & Education Society) is a pioneering Singapore-based charity and Institution of Public Character (UEN T01SS0121K), founded by Singaporeans in 2001 with the aim of promoting animal welfare. ACRES was registered as a society on 24th May 2001 (Registration No.: 0176/2001). It was registered under the Charities Act on 11th January 2005 (Registration No.: 1849) and registered as an Institution of Public Character on 1st June 2007 (Registration no. IPC000559).
Vision: A world where animals are treated with compassion and respect.
Mission: To create a caring and socially responsible society where animals are treated as sentient beings.
Ambition: To drive forward a collaborative and sustainable animal protection movement in Asia.
Objectives:
In all projects undertaken:
- They aim for the research to result in practical changes for the animals.
- Theirapproach is Scientific, Creative, Practical and Positive.
ACRES is an animal protection organisation, driven by their concern for animals. They adopt research projects on the use of animals in various fields and use their findings to educate the public, empowering them with knowledge to make a positive difference for animals. They strongly believe in promoting community involvement in addressing animal protection issues and in building partnerships with all related bodies and the authorities to improve animal welfare.
Six Focus Areas
1. Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation:
In 2009, they opened the ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre (AWRC) in Singapore. They now rescue, treat and rehabilitate hundreds of wild animals every year, some from the illegal exotic pet trade and others native to their own forests that are found injured, lost or disorientated. They run their wildlife rescue services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The AWRC is a no kill shelter.
2. Tackling the Wildlife Trade:
Singapore is considered one of the top ten illegal wildlife trading hubs globally. This trade subjects billions of animals to pain and suffering, and threatens to wipe out countless species. At ACRES, they combat this wildlife trade through their 24-hour Wildlife Crime Hotline, undercover investigations, public awareness programmes, joint efforts with the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) industry and collaborations with other NGOs and the government. Their investigations have led to the capture of many wildlife criminals. Their campaigns and engagements with the government have led to vast improvements to national wildlife protection laws.
3. Humane Education
They never forget that the key to ending animal abuse is education. Their talks, roadshows and Humane Education programmes touch a wide cross section of society, from children in kindergarten to the elderly in the heartland, reaching over 100,000 individuals each year. They travel to schools as well as malls, both downtown and in the heartland. And almost every other day, they get a busload of school children visiting their Education Centre and Outdoor Conservation Classroom at the AWRC. Their aim is to encourage empathy, compassion and respect for animals as well as other human beings, and to inspire and empower children to change their world for the better.
4. Community Outreach
They currently have over 20,000 volunteers and supporters in their database. Their volunteer opportunities promote volunteerism in Singapore and create a more caring and compassionate society. They also distribute grants for local animal protection projects, organise conferences and forums and encourage people to become involved in global animal protection campaigns.
5. Addressing Zoo Animal Welfare
They also conduct scientific investigations into the welfare of animals in zoos and marine parks throughout Asia. They use their findings to raise the standards of captive environments across the region, to ensure that at least the basic needs of the animals are met and to end cruel and exploitative circus-style animal shows. Their work with the zoo community, governments and local NGOs has led to improved welfare standards at zoos in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
6.Promoting Cruelty-Free Living
Through their Cruelty-Free Living educational materials, they raise awareness about a wide range of household products, food items and fashion accessories that are either tested on animals or cause needless suffering and death in animal labs and factory farms. Their aim is to get consumers to make more humane, considerate and compassionate choices in their daily lives.
