Volunteering & helping animals in Singapore

ACRES has spent over 25 years protecting wildlife, rescuing animals in need and fostering coexistence in Singapore. Find out how you can support its mission through volunteering, donations and community engagement. Plus, hear about the rescue missions that one British volunteer has been involved in!

How ACRES started

The first seeds of ACRES were sown when a baby chimpanzee named Ramba ran towards Singaporean Louis Ng, showing him her lips to check if they were bleeding. She had been punished for not sitting still while being trained for a photography session.

Louis’s eyes were opened to how some baby chimpanzees were taken from their mothers for photos, and even harshly punished for not “behaving”. He became determined to end this cruelty, stop the chimp photography, and reunite Ramba and two other baby chimpanzees, Poko and Gombe, with their mothers.

Louis realised that there was no group in Singapore tackling such issues. So, he decided the only way forward to help animals was to form a new animal protection group. In 2001, together with nine other Singaporeans who cared to make a difference, he founded ACRES.

What does ACRES do?

ACRES has grown from a shared vision to a national movement. It’s supported by over 18,000 people, volunteers, supporters, fulltime staff and a dedicated committee. They’re all united by a common goal: to create a better world for animals.

From advocacy and education to rescue operations and investigations, ACRES has been at the forefront of raising awareness on animal protection issues that are often overlooked or ignored.

The organisation continues defending the rights of animals who cannot speak for themselves by advancing animal welfare. This is achieved through the focus areas of tackling the illegal wildlife trade, humane education, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, promoting a cruelty-free lifestyle, community outreach and promoting coexistence.

Challenges faced by ACRES

The work of ACRES mainly involves raising awareness to change the overall mindset of society, to become a more compassionate one that treats all animals as sentient beings.

Examples of how individual behaviour can have a positive effect include:

• choosing to use toothpaste that isn’t tested on animals
• learning to co-exist with monkeys who may visit their homes
• choosing a more plant-based diet instead of an animal-based one
• adopting instead of purchasing a companion animal
• saying no to leather goods and choosing an alternative product

The challenge comes in the form of finding innovative ways to reach out to society to change something they may have done for a long time.

The other big challenge ACRES faces is in raising the funds to continue its work. With 30 staff members running a facility that rescues over 300 animals a month and cares for over 150 rescued wildlife at any given time, and a wildlife rescue hotline that handles over 1,300 cases a month, the organisation spends around $160,000 a month.

ACRES is also expanding its wildlife sanctuary. Currently spanning 0.5 hectares, or roughly three quarters the size of a football field, the expansion will add another 1.5 hectares. This will strengthen the organisation’s ability to care for rescued wildlife in Singapore and do better education work.

As ACRES marks its 25th anniversary this year, it’s looking to raise $2.5 million to help fund the expansion and monthly expenses to sustain operations.

What to do when you come across wild animals

Many of us are taught that certain wild animals are dangerous – snakes, large lizards, monkeys or wild pigs, for example. This can lead to taking drastic measures to forcibly remove a “dangerous” animal without thought.

ACRES advises standing back and observing from a distance. You’ll notice how most of the animals freeze or slowly move off. Also, never feed wild animals such as birds, monkeys or pigs. Their behaviour will be altered, and they will see humans as food sources, resulting in a human-wildlife conflict situation. Many monkeys have suffered from human feeding and have been put down because of the resulting conflict situations. Even indirect food provision through improper trash management will continue to lead to conflict situations.

If you find an abandoned young animal, don’t attempt a rescue. Call the ACRES wildlife rescue hotline 9783 7782 (7am to 1am), take a photo if you can, and make a note of your location for advice. Usually, the parents or mother will be around somewhere – the young animal may not need rescue at all.

If a wild animal is in distress, call ACRES and they can provide advice on what can be done next.

How you can get involved or help out

Another way that individuals can help is to say no to the wildlife trade, whether it’s live animals sold as pets or food, or for parts used in fashion or medicine. Individuals can also choose to play an active role by volunteering with ACRES at acres.org.sg/get-involved or donating to the sanctuary expansion at giving.sg/donate/campaign/together-forwildlife-acres-wildlife-sanctuary-expansion. Or make a point of starting conversations on animal issues that matter to you.

ACRES also welcomes volunteer groups from companies, schools and community organisations. Group volunteering opportunities are available for teams of at least 10 participants.

A word from a volunteer

Brit Nick Measures describes what he does at ACRES:

“I’ve been living in Singapore for 11 years and volunteering with the ACRES team for around five years. I came across them while writing a story about nature in Singapore and the potential for human wildlife conflict. I learnt more about their work at the sanctuary and spent a day shadowing a rescue.

As an animal/nature lover, I was particularly impressed by the real-life impact that ACRES makes on Singapore’s wildlife and how much they rely on volunteers to carry out their work.

I’m currently a wildlife rescue volunteer with them, driving the rescue van to trapped and injured wildlife. I typically volunteer once or twice a month at weekends, usually doing a day shift from 9.30am to 5pm.

No two shifts are the same. I’ve been part of the rescue of a pregnant pangolin from the drain of an army camp; helped catch a reticulated python that weighed over 75kg; removed a python from the engine of a police launch; tried to catch a very fast squirrel in a hospital toilet; recovered a palm civet from a 23rd-floor balcony; and cut loose a macaque that was stuck on the barbed wire of a police base, which unfortunately didn’t make it.

The most memorable was from earlier this year. Our team encountered a tricky rescue of an injured Himalayan vulture perched on the side of a busy expressway. These are one of the world’s biggest birds with sizeable talons and beak. We managed to catch it with the help of a towel, a big net and a traffic policeman. Getting to be so close to such an impressive bird was a truly amazing experience.

Volunteering with ACRES takes you to many places, from warehouses to fire stations to military bases, that you would never get to experience or visit otherwise. It’s also a chance to make a real impact and get to learn more about the incredible diversity of Singapore’s wildlife.”

Contact details

ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre is located at 91 Jalan Lekar.
[email protected] | acres.org.sg

Liked reading this article on animal welfare in Singapore? It first appeared in the September 2026 issue of Expat Living magazine. You can buy the latest issue or an annual subscription, or read the digital version for free now.

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