Cat on MRT Track

Update: SBS Transit continues their thorough search in the MRT tunnels as well as the access points for the cat and is giving concerned cat caregivers the opportunity to form a search team to go to the access points (above ground) to join the search. Please email info@catwelfare.org if you are interested to participate.

http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC091004-0000094/Online-Only---MRT-staff-at-Dhoby-Ghaut-ignored-pleas-had-no-regard-for-animal-welfare

Please refer to your feedback dated 5 October 2009.

It is rare for animals to enter our stations but when they do, our staff have been told to spare no effort in ensuring their safety whilst not compromising on the safety of our passengers.

The Standard Operating Procedure in such cases is for station staff to seek assistance from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (SPCA) and to watch over the animal as the SPCA makes its way to our premises. This has been the way we have handled similar cases in the past when dogs strayed into our station.

Unfortunately, the proper procedure was not followed in this instance. Our station staff first erred by calling the pest control company instead of the SPCA. An error of judgement was also made when the staff tried to lure the cat into a non-public passageway which is located behind the emergency door. The manner in which this was done was also wrong. Certainly a stick and a garbage bag should not have been used. To make matters worse, the cat unexpectedly leapt up the wall into a small opening located just beside the emergency door and landed on the tracks instead.

Since the incident occurred on 2 Oct 2009, we have conducted several sweeps of our tracks and found no evidence that the cat had been hit by our trains. We have also been trying to look for it in our tunnels to try and bring it back up to street level and to safety but we have not been able to spot it. We will continue to keep a lookout for the cat but we believe that it has since escaped and is now safe.

We wish to offer our sincerest apologies to Ms Mardjuki and all animal lovers for the way in which we have handled this situation. It was not our intention to bring harm to the cat. We have since learnt from this episode and will be finetuning our procedures to ensure that stray animals are better dealt with in future. We will be seeking assistance from the SPCA and our staff will be trained on the proper ways to deal with such situations so that the animals' welfare is not compromised and our passengers' safety is assured.


Yours sincerely

Lydia Shi
for Ms Tammy Tan, Vice President
Corporate Communications
SBS Transit Ltd