'We hardly receive any donation at all': Animal Lovers League to downsize operations, founders hope to repay rent in January

Animal Lovers League (ALL) will downsize operations after its shelter lost its tenancy at The Animal Lodge (TAL), co-founders Mohan Div Sreedharan and Catherine Strong told reporters on Wednesday (Dec 10).

The pair also hope to gather enough funds to settle the shelter's rental arrears totalling about $500,000 in January.

On Dec 8, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) said ALL's lease at TAL would not be renewed due to concerns about the health and welfare of animals there, as well as the unpaid rent.

The animal welfare group was started in 2002 and has operated out of TAL since March 2018. TAL is managed by AVS.

The founders said on Wednesday that the root of their troubles is the lack of funds, which have dwindled since the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We hardly receive any donation at all," Strong said.

Mohan elaborated that ALL used to board animals, which helped supplement revenue. 

"The ministry was very kind to us," he said. "Now the boiling point is reached, so they had to take some action... We're grateful to them."

Mohan also cited veterinary bills as one of their big expenses. As a no-kill shelter, ALL takes in animals that are often old or require more care.

An increase in animal welfare groups, both registered and unregistered, has "fragmented" the industry, he said.

"Everybody is out there soliciting for funds. The funds are not directed to people who are legitimate and need large amounts of money," he said, adding that ALL has not received sufficient support from sponsors.

Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam was at TAL with Mohan and Strong on Wednesday.

The minister said he has known Mohan for about 15 years, and the ALL team has been "doing very good work" but are facing challenges in fundraising.

He revealed that ALL had not paid rent to AVS for about four-and-a-half years.

"While ALL's intentions were and are noble, they didn't have the means to carry through these intentions," he said, stating that he intends to suggest ideas to the group.

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ALL is required to return the eight units occupied by them to AVS as soon as possible.

AVS said it is working closely with various animal welfare groups and individuals to develop a long-term plan for the care and rehoming of ALL's animals, and some groups have expressed interest to take in the animals.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com