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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>What happens if a kid's hand gets caught in dog trap?
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->LAST Thursday afternoon, I chanced upon a dog trap set by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) near the Kent Vale residence at the National University of Singapore. I did not think much of it at the time.
When I returned that night, I studied the trap carefully. It consisted of a metal cage, with a hook linked to a trap door. On the hook was a piece of roasted duck head. There was no water in the trap.
Intrigued, I wondered what would happen if a young child got caught. To check the response time, I activated the trap and the door banged shut.
I called the AVA a few times but could only get an automated response informing me that the office was closed and giving AVA official working hours. I returned to the trap at 8.45am the next day. There was no AVA officer to open the trap door or reset the trap.
I have several questions I would like to bring to AVA's attention. What if a child and his playmates tried to enter the trap together? What if one of them placed his hands at the entrance of the trap? Would he lose his fingers due to the force of the trap door shutting?
More important, since there is no one on duty at AVA at night, what if a young child was caught inside the trap outside AVA's working hours? Would the police have to be alerted? Would they know how to free the child?
Perhaps, AVA should work with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on how to capture stray dogs. I am sure a safer and more humane way can be found.
Ong Aik Peng
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->LAST Thursday afternoon, I chanced upon a dog trap set by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) near the Kent Vale residence at the National University of Singapore. I did not think much of it at the time.
When I returned that night, I studied the trap carefully. It consisted of a metal cage, with a hook linked to a trap door. On the hook was a piece of roasted duck head. There was no water in the trap.
Intrigued, I wondered what would happen if a young child got caught. To check the response time, I activated the trap and the door banged shut.
I called the AVA a few times but could only get an automated response informing me that the office was closed and giving AVA official working hours. I returned to the trap at 8.45am the next day. There was no AVA officer to open the trap door or reset the trap.
I have several questions I would like to bring to AVA's attention. What if a child and his playmates tried to enter the trap together? What if one of them placed his hands at the entrance of the trap? Would he lose his fingers due to the force of the trap door shutting?
More important, since there is no one on duty at AVA at night, what if a young child was caught inside the trap outside AVA's working hours? Would the police have to be alerted? Would they know how to free the child?
Perhaps, AVA should work with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on how to capture stray dogs. I am sure a safer and more humane way can be found.
Ong Aik Peng
