Our Wild Neighbours

Snakes, otters, wild boars and monkeys – what animals have you met on a walk, or even inside your home? Singapore has developed with patches of forest and greenery amidst shopping centres and residential areas, and urbanization continues. You can see otters at the Botanic gardens and go shopping at Orchard road in 10 minutes. Less frequent travel and more people out in green spaces since the start of COVID-19 has also led to an increase in human-animal encounters here. Some animals are appreciated, while others cause fear; how do we protect ourselves and them during these moments?

Join this session with Jocelyn Chng (ACRES), Cyrena Lin (NParks) and Dr. Charlene Yeong (Mandai Nature) and Bernard Seah (Otter Working Group, Otter Watch) to learn more about animal behaviour, what to do when you meet wildlife and national efforts to build a harmonious city in nature.

About the speakers:

Jocelyn Chng is a Wildlife Management Executive at ACRES. She works on human-wildlife coexistence issues and outreach to the public. She is also an avid otterwatcher, spending her weekends observing these furry social neighbours.

Bernard ‘OtterGrapher’ Seah is a passionate wildlife advocate, conservationist, naturalist and wildlife photographer. He is part of the Otter Working Group (OWG) and OWG Education Team in Singapore, active in otter rescue or release operations and outreach. He is also part of the Crocodile Specialist Group(CSG) under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Species Survival Commission (SSC). He is a Canon Ambassador and his works have been featured on both local and international media including the Straits Times, NBC News, NHK, Nippon TV, 9News, Business Insider and BBC. Otters, crocodiles and marine turtles are closest to Bernard’s heart.

Dr. Charlene Yeong is a veterinarian at Mandai Nature and Mandai Wildlife Group. Apart from being part of the team that looks after the healthcare of collection animals, she also oversees rescued native wildlife admissions, treatment and rehabilitation. She is also part of the core committee of the Our Wild Neighbours initiative.

Cyrena Lin is part of NParks’ Wildlife Management & Outreach team, which oversees wildlife-related feedback and implements required mitigation measures to ensure that people have safe and enjoyable encounters with wildlife in our City in Nature. She is also part of the core committee of the Our Wild Neighbours initiative.

About the Series:

Coral CoLab Presents: THE SHIFT

A series of events to SHIFT the focus back on Climate, Chaos and Creatures on Earth!

With the pandemic taking center stage the last two years, attention was diverted from many social and environmental issues. However, the effects of COVID-19 are incomparable to the long-term risks of climate change. A 2022 World Economic Forum report lists climate action failure, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse as the top three of the top 10 global risks by severity over the next 10 years. Urgent systemic changes are needed within our economy and society for a sustainable future.

In this series, you’ll get to sit down alongside humble leaders who are addressing these complex challenges on the ground. Each event will tackle a different issue; with a direct intention to expedite collaborations across sectors and stakeholders to scale solutions.

This event series is in collaboration with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC).