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Online, 3 Aug 05 Zoo animals show their healing touch by Dawn Quek PET therapy using dogs is not uncommon — but therapy involving animals from the zoo? Now that's a little unusual. Staff at the Singapore Zoo are doing just that, allowing beneficiaries from Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) such as the Metta Welfare Association and the Down Syndrome Association to interact with the zoo's small tame animals. These include ferrets, chinchillas, sugar gliders and Slow Loris. This is part of the zoo's Staff Volunteering Programme, which was implemented in May. According to Ms Fanny Lai, executive director at the Singapore Zoo, the aim of the programme is to "transform a viewing zoo into a learning zoo, where staff not only take care of the animals and guests, but also learn to be socially responsible". The programme is not compulsory but is open to all 300 staff at the zoo. All staff at the zoo are entitled to take half-a-day off per month to help out with the underprivileged when they visit. They also go through a short training programme on how to help the visitors interact with the animals. Staff members like Mr Tara Singh, 32, manager of Safari Restaurant, said he had never interacted with the animals before his two-hour orientation with the zoo's education department. After the training programme, he not only learnt about the animals' behaviour, but also how to deal with different groups of beneficiaries. "The older folks are more serious, and we need to explain every detail to them, whereas the kids like to ask questions that are more fun," he said. Mr Singh has volunteered twice and is all set for more. . "If the education department calls me for any other events, I'll come down," he said. links Related articles on Singapore: general environmental issues |
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