Page 43 - Scholarship Guide Aug 2020

41

pathogens that may impact local populations
of animals and possibly have spill-over effects
on humans.
Our work in the Wildlife Management Division
requires an immense amount of teamwork in
order for operations to run smoothly. For ex-
ample, I was involved in the seizures of 37.5
tonnes of pangolin scales and 8.8 tonnes of
elephant ivory in 2019 by NParks. This entailed
several work streams such as identifi cation of
pangolin species, sampling elephant ivory and
moving large shipping containers from point to
point. The seizures were a tremendous effort
and only possible because the team worked to-
gether smoothly and effi ciently to ensure that
logistical and manpower needs were met.

What advice would you have
for those who are exploring
What led you to consider a elephants, giraffes, antelopes and rhinos from their scholarship options?
career in NParks? a helicopter fl ying just above the treeline. Once, Signing up for a scholarship is a huge decision
we had to translocate some elephants that
As an intern, I asked practising clinical vet- were destroying precious farmland and threat- as it involves planning for at least the next 9
erinarians about possible career paths in their ening people’s livelihoods. After tranquilising to 10 years of your life. While passion is im-
fi eld. I learned about the role that veterinarians the animals, we transported them on a huge portant to ensure continued interest in a fi eld
play in ensuring public health and animal wel- fl atbed truck across several towns. Imagine of study, in order to stay motivated in the job
fare, and that some veterinarians study emerg- being a veterinary student riding on the back that follows, it is important that your goals
ing diseases from wildlife and help to prevent of a truck with sleeping elephants for over an and interests are aligned with the mission of
outbreaks, protecting the health of both hour, fully visible to everyone as we drove past the organisation providing the scholarship. As
animals and people. This led me to fi nd out – needless to say, we made the cover of the lo- a scholar in a statutory board such as NParks,
more about a scholarship offered by the then cal newspaper the next day! I also got to work your daily responsibilities at work will be in the
Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to with wildlife experts involved in dehorning rhi- service of the public, helping to maintain a live-
study veterinary science, with graduates be- nos to prevent poaching. able space for all Singaporeans.
ing able to work in disease surveillance and
manage animal health programmes. I decided These experiences helped to shape my way of
to pursue the scholarship. With the formation thinking about the larger issues of conserva-
of the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) un- tion and the illegal wildlife trade, both abroad NParks
der NParks, AVS has since taken up the role of and here at home. Since then, I have refl ected
safeguarding animal health and public health, on the role that NParks can play in enhancing Undergraduate
and I was welcomed into the NParks family. liveability for Singaporeans while coexisting Scholarship
with the animals that share our living space. Chia Lee Shen, Shawn
What were some of the Age: 29
memorable/interesting What do you do at NParks’
encounters during your course Wildlife Management Division, Attained: Bachelor of Vet-
of study and why? and what are some of the proj- erinary Medicine and Sur-
The scholarship allowed me to read veterinary ects you are currently working gery (with High Distinction),
science at Murdoch University in Australia. on or have worked on in the Murdoch University
Through this fi ve-year course, I worked with past?
a huge variety of animals ranging from com- Now: Veterinarian / Wildlife
panion pets such as dogs and cats to large farm As a veterinarian in the Wildlife Management Management *
animals like sheep, cows and horses. As clinical Division, I help to manage human-wildlife
veterinarians in training, we learned a diverse interactions. The work is challenging and re- From: Victoria Junior
range of skills, becoming anaesthetists, sur- quires quite a fair bit of thinking on your feet College
geons, dentists and ophthalmologists (and the as wild animals are unpredictable. My team
list goes on) as necessary, so that we could ob- also conducts surveys in our green spaces to
tain the best outcomes for our furry patients. get a sense of the size of animal populations.
In my fourth year, I joined a two-week con- This allows us to more effectively manage * This article fi rst appeared in February
servation medicine fi eld trip to South Africa. wildlife, carry out animal rescues, rehabilitate 2020 issue. Since then, Shawn has been
I got to work with local wildlife veterinarians wild animals and keep an eye out for potential assigned to the Industry & Biosecurity
to tranquilise large game animals such as Management Division of NParks.