ASK!

I came across this question posed by a reader in one of her blog entries http://sillyivyq.blogspot.com and she was mystified as to why Singapore do not allow live pigs (excluding guinea pigs!) to be kept as pets. A very valid question, granted that pigs were a common sight in Singapore in the 1960s and 70s.

Well Ivy, Singapore does not allow live pigs to be kept as pets, not only because of hygiene and land space problems but also due to the following reasons.

1)Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore(AVA)only allows certain types of animals to be sold in pet shops and kept as pets such as (dogs, rabbits, cats, hamsters etc).

2) Also live pigs were once the cause of the Japanese Encephalitis outbreak, where victims were infected by being in close contact with pigs. Besides, in recent times, a strain of the Ebola virus was found in pigs in the Philippines. Therefore, the risk of contracting such diseases from livestock like pigs could be a reason why Singapore does not allow live pigs to be kept as pets.

For more information, you can check out these books at the library:

1) Potbellied pig behavior and training by Priscilla Valentine.
Call number:English 636.485 VAL

2) Pigs by Gail Gibbons
Call Number:JPEnglish 636.4 GIB

3)Pigs by Jules Older
Call Number:JEnglish 636.4 OLD

Posted by:
Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian