Few animals released into wild on Vesak Day, devotees urged to be kind to animals in other ways

SINGAPORE – The tradition of releasing animals into the wild on Vesak Day as an act of compassion is becoming less common among Buddhists, as many Buddhist organisations advise against it.

Only three cases of releasing animals into the wild were reported each year from 2019 to 2023, according to the National Parks Board (NParks), which continues to encourage the public to refrain from the practice. Offenders may be fined up to $5,000 under the Wildlife Act.

Advocacy group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) also has had no reports of animals being released into the wild since 2019. Prior to that, it would receive five or six reports a year, though it noted that most were not reported.

“We are grateful for the efforts of NParks’ Operation No Release campaign, animal welfare groups and fellow nature groups for bringing about the awareness of the harms of releasing animals into the wild to the public, that has resulted in the decrease of the number of cases over the years,” said a spokeswoman for Acres.

In the run-up to Vesak Day each year since 2006, NParks has carried out Operation No Release, dispatching officers and volunteers to parks, nature areas, reservoirs and waterways to remind people not to release animals into the wild.

“Releasing animals into the wild harms them and our ecosystem. These animals will find it difficult to fend for themselves and are unlikely to survive in their new, unfamiliar surroundings,” said Mr Lim Liang Jim, group director of conservation at NParks.

The few that are able to adapt to the new environment may disrupt the ecological balance of Singapore’s natural habitats by competing with native species for resources, he added.

Vesak Day holds particular significance for Buddhists, as they believe that the merit generated from good works done on this holy day will be amplified.

On top of chanting mantras and sharing vegetarian meals, devotees in the past released caged birds and animals as an act of compassion.

In recent times, Buddhist organisations such as Thekchen Choling Singapore have been encouraging devotees to advocate animal welfare in other ways, such as adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet, doing animal rescue work and supporting animal shelters.

Thekchen Choling highlighted in a blog post on its website that the act of releasing animals into the wild is done with the good intention of returning them to their natural habitat.

But it also said that the likelihood of the animals adapting to or surviving in a new environment is low, and that non-native species released into a new ecosystem can become invasive, harming native wildlife and throwing the ecosystem off balance.

Mr Vincent Kessler, chairman of Thekchen Choling’s Vesak Day organising committee, said: “In the practice of animal liberation, oftentimes, beings that are intended for slaughter are bought and saved from certain death. These situations are no longer common in Singapore, and as such we have seen the need to evolve how we benefit the animal realm.”

Since 2022, Thekchen Choling has held an annual blessing night for animals on the eve of Vesak Day at its temple in Beatty Lane.

“This year’s event saw more than 1,000 visitors and their pets, with queues so long that we had to extend the closing of the event,” added Mr Kessler.

“The crowds that have thronged our animal blessing night for the past three years are a clear testament that people want the best for their animals and pray for their happiness and good health in the same way that one prays for family and friends.”

But some experts also caution that cases of animals being released often go unnoticed.

Associate Professor Darren Yeo Chong Jinn, from the National University of Singapore’s department of biological sciences, said: “Enforcement of no-release rules or laws is not easy. There are probably more releases happening that go unobserved or unreported, and therefore are not caught.”

Some of those being released are marine animals.

“If fully marine species that are intolerant of freshwater are released, they are unlikely to survive. The negative impact of releasing large numbers of such species is that the potential resulting mass fish die-off would foul up the freshwater environment,” added Prof Yeo, who is also head of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

An invasive species that is sometimes released into the wild but can do damage to the marine environment is the hybrid or Sabah grouper, he said.

Noting that the local fishing community advises anglers not to re-release any hybrid grouper they catch, Prof Yeo said: “The main concern is its potential impact as a predator of native biodiversity and a competitor against native groupers and other similar predatory fishes. There may also be concern over hybridisation and ‘diluting’ the genetic stock of native groupers.”

The spokeswoman for Acres urged the public to embrace a plant-based lifestyle instead, if they are concerned about animal cruelty.

She said: “We would urge the public who desire to do so to embrace a plant-based lifestyle instead, which will directly save many animals in the intensive farming industry, or to support animals welfare groups who work hard to help animals directly.”