Animal Lovers League loses lease at The Animal Lodge; authorities prioritising animals’ well-being
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Animal Lovers League has been a tenant at The Animal Lodge, a facility supporting animal welfare groups and independent shelters, since March 2018.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Follow topic:
- Animal Lovers League (ALL) has lost its tenancy at The Animal Lodge (TAL) due to rental arrears of 53 months.
- AVS discovered sick animals not receiving adequate care, prompting intervention despite ALL caring for vulnerable animals.
- AVS offered payment plans and to take over animals, but ALL didn't repay arrears or agree to downsize.
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SINGAPORE – Animal Lovers League (ALL) – one of Singapore’s pioneer animal welfare groups – has lost its tenancy at The Animal Lodge (TAL), a facility supporting animal welfare groups and independent shelters.
The group is required to return the current eight units it occupies to the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS), a National Parks Board (NParks) cluster which oversees the lodge.
ALL owes more than 50 months of rental arrears, said AVS.
AVS director Trisha Eng said, however, that the issue was “not one that only involved overdue rent, but it was also about the welfare of the animals at the ALL shelter, making it very complex”.
“AVS had received feedback from volunteers of ALL regarding the welfare of these animals,” she said.
“When AVS inspectors visited, they found that several of the animals were sick and not receiving prompt or adequate veterinary attention; and that many animals were also showing signs of fear, anxiety and stress,” said Ms Eng.
Announcing this at NParks’ Botany Centre on Dec 8, Ms Eng said AVS “needed to take a measured approach as ALL is still taking care of its animal charges, some of which are old and sick”.
“A sudden eviction could further compromise the well-being of the animals under ALL’s care,” she added.
ALL, which was set up in 2002, was located at Pasir Ris Farmway for 17 years before moving into TAL in Sungei Tengah near Choa Chu Kang.
It has been a tenant at TAL since March 2018 and originally occupied 10 units with about 200 animals. From April 2019, it started accruing rental arrears.
Ms Eng said AVS offered instalment plans and to take over the animals, but ALL did not repay its arrears and did not agree to voluntarily return the units to reduce what it owed.
ALL usually takes in Singapore specials, or mongrels, but on occasion, it also takes in old dogs that were being given up by their owners.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The tenancy ended in December 2024, and AVS renewed only eight of the 10 units until Aug 5, 2025 – a nudge by AVS for ALL to downsize, said Ms Eng.
However, the group could not pay the arrears by the date and the tenancy was not renewed. AVS has issued seven advisories and two directives to ALL.
Ms Eng said the health and welfare of the animals under ALL remains the top priority.
AVS has, since December 2024, removed 15 animals from ALL that needed medical attention, some of which have recovered and been taken in by caregivers.
The group currently occupies eight units at TAL, and has about 170 animals in its shelter.
The Straits Times, as well as other media outlets, has reached out to the two founders of ALL, Ms Cathy Strong and Mr Mohan Div, and has yet to receive a reply from either.
