SINGAPORE: First, it was the high prices of the stalls at Geylang Serai Ramadan bazaar that made the news, and then the pony rides set up for children raised concerns among the public, including the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES).
ACRES co-chief executive Anbarasi Boopal said that the group had gotten no less than five complaints rearing the ponies’ wellbeing, including concerns about the animals working long hours—until as late as 11 pm amid the heat, noise, and big crowds.
Ms Boopal told The Straits Times recently that people have also been concerned that the ponies are being used for entertainment in the first place. She added that the public has also alerted ACRES regarding the birds on display at the bazaar.
“We do not support the use of such animals purely for entertainment purposes, with little or no educational value. This is for reasons such as the crowd, noise, transport, heat and hours – which all could be avoided – particularly when there are opportunities already to have educational guided interactions at their own facilities,” Ms Boopal told ST, adding that ACRES would reach out to bazaar organisers, Gallop Stable, and the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) about these issues.
On its part, Gallop Stable, the company responsible for the pony rides at the bazaar, said it was surprised about the concerns raised, telling Coconuts that it is willing to have a dialogue about these issues.
Coconuts quoted a representative from the company as saying, “But as a concern(ed) party of our animals’ welfare, we treasure their values and we hope to provide them with more insight on our intentions and further explain our roles at Gallop if necessary.”
Gallop Stable further explained that the horses used for the children’s rides at the bazaar are “born and bred in Malaysia known as Bajau ponies (Kuda padi) and they are usually used for performance and events and adaptable to our topical weather,” and that they are trained for interactions, especially with children. /TISG