‘Be mindful of where your food comes from’
It all started some 15 years ago, when she picked up a documentary about shark finning, the process by which the fin is hacked off a living shark.
After a shark has been finned, it is thrown back into the ocean to die from suffocation, starvation or to be eaten because it cannot swim normally. The fins are typically sold to restaurants for the making of shark's fin soup.
The disturbing details spurred animal-lover Corinne Fong to find out more about how animals were reared and killed for consumption, and sparked in her a wider interest in animal welfare.
Fast forward to the present, Fong — who eats only a bit of fish and chicken occasionally and has not drunk a bowl of shark's fin soup in 15 years — is now the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (SPCA) incoming executive director. She will officially take on her duties on 1 August.
Speaking to Yahoo! Singapore, Fong shared the one thing she would choose to change, if she could, in animal welfare.
"On a broader scale, I would like for everyone to be conscious of where their food comes from," said Fong, 47.
She would like people "to be mindful of the rearing process, to start thinking about how that animal — that piece of steak, chicken chop, mutton, cod — got onto your plate."
Most recently, reports of Indonesian slaughter houses' brutality and abuse of live cattle led to a temporary ban on the export of live cattle from Australia to Indonesia.
Her hope for Singapore
"On the home front, I would like Singaporeans to adopt a more compassionate stand and basic human decency towards all animals," she said.
As SPCA's executive director, Fong said she hopes to work closely with other animal welfare groups to push for better legislation for animals, for instance, harsher penalties for unscrupulous breeders and animal abusers.
Fong also wants to see the SPCA's euthanisation rates fall further, even as the push for sterilisation has brought down the number of animals put to sleep. There is a need to further educate pet owners not to put down their pets or give up on their pets so easily, she said.
And in the case of pet shops, Fong believes, "We cannot stop them from selling animals but they need to put in more effort to educate owners."
An undercover investigation by the SPCA and other animal welfare groups last year found that 19 of 35 pet shops tested failed to comply with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority's standards.
Pet shops must provide information to buyers voluntarily, without being prompted and prodded, she stressed.
Consumers also have the right to ask for the history of their pet, the medical history of the mother dog and visit the breeder if more information is required, she said.
The proud owner of a dog and cat — both adopted — has a decade of volunteer work with the SPCA under her belt. She started out as a kennel helper and was one of the charity's adoption counsellors. In the last three years, Fong sat on the group's management committee.
When the opportunity for greater involvement with the organisation and animal welfare came about, Fong, who worked in financial advisory for the last 20 years, decided to leave her job and take on the new challenge.
It was a difficult decision, she shared. A key consideration was whether she could "make a difference".
For the management committee, however, it was an unanimous choice for Fong to come on board as its new executive director. Chairman Carla Barker said she was selected based on her track record and experience as volunteer and former board member, as well as her strong executive and personal qualities.
Fong takes over from Deirde Moss, who has been the face of the SPCA for the last 27 years. Moss is in discussions with the management committee to remain at the SPCA as a freelance consultant and advisor.
"Deirdre Moss has been the face of the SPCA for the longest time, and she has done a tremendous amount of work to take the organisation to a level where it is at right now, a leading animal welfare organisation," said Fong.
"I have big shoes to fill, and I hope I'm equal to the task. If I achieve half of what she has done, I will be very satisfied."
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