“It’d be good if we can retain existing forests … (rather than) coming in to build something to reconnect (habitats),” said Dr Ang.
While Dr Ang, who is the president of the Jane Goodall Institute in Singapore, acknowledged that the country has development needs and cannot stop clearing forests entirely, she believes it could be done in a more “structured way”.
“More plans (should have) mitigations such that we can minimise impacts to wildlife and (the) environment as much as possible.” said Dr Ang.
As Singapore inches closer to fulfilling its vision of being a city in nature, wildlife sightings in the city will become more common.
“We are in this unique place where we want to be a city in nature, but it comes with these (public safety) risks as well,” said ACRES co-CEO Ms Boopal.
Echoing her views, Dr Ang emphasised that “we want to be close to nature, whether it is the clean air or just the calming effect of nature, but people might not understand that nature contains different aspects. It is not just the beautiful butterflies or the chirping birds”.
“There could be chickens, there could be crows, wild pigs and snakes as well. Some people might be selective about the kind of nature that they want. But if we are selective, then the ecosystem will not be intact and thrive,” said Dr Ang.