Episode 39: Giving Back to Singapore: Empowering Animal Rescues: Chan's Journey with the Animal Human Alliance

Paula: [00:00:00] Welcome to today's episode of the truly expat podcast. I'm Paula. And with me is Rachel. We're thrilled to speak with Chan, founder of Animal Human Alliance. Since 2013, AHA has been on the forefront of animal welfare, blending a love for pets with a social enterprise model.

Paula: Tune in as we delve into Mr. Tan's inspiring journey and discover how AHA is transforming animals. So welcome Chan. 

Mr Chan: Hello. 

Paula: How are you? Hi Chan. 

Mr Chan: Good, thank you. 

Rachel: Nice to meet you. Hello . So could you give us a very brief overview of what led you to start looking after these cats?

Mr Chan: Okay. Well I have been involved with, uh, animal rescue work for a very long time, and in the early [00:01:00]two thousands I was planning to do my PhD.

Mr Chan: That was the original plan. But along the way, my father felt quite sick, and, uh, the It wasn't a good idea to proceed with a PhD anymore, so since I'm not traveling anymore, I was planning to do it in the uk so, you know, I, I know I'm not traveling anymore, so I decided, okay, let's start the pet food shop.

Mr Chan: Since I'm buying a lot of pet food to give away to feeders and animals in monasteries at the time, after I started the. shop, I was able to take in more animals and that comes along the two FIV positive cats. Out of concern about their health and the ingredient, uh, the idea came to start our own food with the kind of specifications that I'm comfortable with.

Mr Chan: So, It's a journey that, you know, one thing led to the other. It was not something that I, I had planned right from the start. [00:02:00] So that was how a HA came about and how the brand journey came about. 

Rachel: Could you tell us what an FHV CAT is? What does that mean? 

Mr Chan: Right. FIV is the cat version of HIV and it is.

Mr Chan: Species specific. That means it only affects cats and will not affect humans or any other species.

Paula: When you say, uh, you rescue cats, what does that mean? What do you actually do to help the, the cats that are sick? 

Mr Chan: Well, I think the animal rescue community, there are a lot of, uh, dimensions to it, so different people focus on different areas.

Mr Chan: For example, some specialize in kittens, some would do sterilization on the street, some would rescue or take over pets that are unwanted and re home [00:03:00] them. Uh, in my case, uh, I, I, I play a role that complements the other rescuers and also part of their ecosystem. That means, you know, as the rescuers rescue animals along the way, they will always come across an animal that is too sick or for some reason unwanted.

Mr Chan: In the case of cats, uh, they might be FIV positive or FELB positive. FELB is feline leukemia virus. Uh, it's very contagious among cats. So these are the animals that are very difficult to rehome. So they come to me. So, uh, in other words, I specialize more in palliative care, uh, very sick cats and dogs, and also cats who are infected with FELB virus.

Paula: What a wonderful thing to do, isn't it? [00:04:00] And so the cat, the very first cat you, you, you nurtured, how did that come about? 

Mr Chan: Well, the first FIV cat I had was called Ken Ken. And I adopted him because he was a senior FIV positive cat with a huge scar on his back. So. You know, it's very difficult to rehome adult cats, and even more difficult is if they are FIV positive and with, with a huge scar on his back.

Mr Chan: So I decided, never mind, I'll, I'll, I'll adopt. And then I realized it's FIV positive, but that is fine, because FIV I always say that a well cared for FIV positive cat can outlive a severely neglected non FIV cat, so I'm okay with that. Then, a few months later, I felt that, you know, I didn't want KenKen to be alone, so I [00:05:00] adopted a sibling for him, and this sibling is called Goldie, and Goldie was FIV positive as well.

Mr Chan: And that is fine. But along the way, Goldie began losing weight and falling very sick. We went to many vets and our, our vet eventually told us that if Goldie continues to lose weight. then they need to change the approach and start to hunt for potential cancer. So my job was to try to get Goldie to put on weight.

Mr Chan: So I, I try everything I can to make him eat. And along the way, I also came in into, I also collected a lot more information and I see that there is one particular ingredient that made me very uncomfortable and that's carrageenan. It's gelling agent. derived from red seaweed that is used in a lot of wet food.

Mr Chan: The problem with that is it causes [00:06:00] inflammation and can increase cancer risk. FIV cats have a higher chance of cancer and you don't want to feed them and also give them something to increase their cancer risk. I was very worried about it because my aim was to make Goldie put on weight. What I also found out is when you look at pet food, lable, you don't necessarily know if carrageenan is inside there because they are not required to declare the gelling agent.

Mr Chan: So that was how the idea came out. How about, you know, the only way to be sure is let's do a carrageenan free wet food ourselves. Then we have full control over what goes into the food. So that was how the idea came about. Well, and in coming back to Goldie's story, uh, eventually one, uh, our vet suspect that the, the, [00:07:00] Goldie had a lot patches on his body and initially they suspected it was fungus.

Mr Chan: Later they suspect it's probably not fungus. It's probably due to low immune system. And we started him acupuncture. It cleared that. And Goldie began to put on weight. So, uh, I was, I was really, really happy. I was really, really happy about it. 

Paula: Is acupuncture a thing for cats? I didn't even know you could do acupuncture on animals.

Mr Chan: Well, the thing is, uh, when it comes to animal care, I always go for options that has the least side effect. So for example, when an animal is unwell, you can try different medications. Every medication would have its, uh, repercussion. So I prefer acupuncture because it can help stimulate the immune system.

Mr Chan: Uh, it can also help in, you know, in cases of spine [00:08:00] issues and so on. And there is basically no. major repercussion from acupuncture. So that's why I always prefer to explore acupuncture if it helps the cat's condition. 

Paula: And can any, uh, maybe where, if I had a sick cat, where would I get acupuncture from? Do vets do that?

Mr Chan: Uh, there are some vets who are trained in acupuncture, so they would be able to do, but the best ones are, for example, uh, You know, East meets West, you know, you don't rush into acupuncture, you, you understand the overall health condition, and then you discuss with the vet if acupuncture can help. And then if they decide to go ahead, right, they will be able to do acupuncture together with all the other diagnostics to come up with the best solution possible.

Rachel: Okay. So East meets West is the place that you go for your. Acupuncture and other, [00:09:00] Oh, lovely. We will have to link that in the show notes. 

Mr Chan: You, you basically combine the best of different schools of knowledge and that usually produce the best results. 

Rachel: I like that. Yeah, me too. What is the name of your pet food company?

Mr Chan: So the company is called Animal Human Alliance and The brand of pet food I have is called Goldie because what happened was, you know, we, we formulated the food. We decided what we want and what we don't want in the food. So after everything is done, we need a brand, right? So initially I wanted to call the brand KenKen, but I couldn't because KenKen is the brand of a snack in Singapore.

Mr Chan: So it's not nice. It's not nice to use that brand. It's not even allowed legally. So in that case, what do I do? Then we decided, okay, [00:10:00] uh, we can't name it KenKen. We will name it Goldie instead. So that's how the brand came about. I have a policy not to change a pet's name. So when we take over or adopt any, or rescue any animal, right?

Mr Chan: Whatever name was given to them before, we just continue with it. I don't think, you know, I don't, they would already have been familiar with the name. So if I rescue or adopt an animal, why would I want to change the name and create confusion for the animal? 

Paula: Yeah, that makes sense. Do you, um, uh, can anybody buy the product or is it just, I mean, like, can any, does, is it a vet that has to buy the product or can any pet owner buy your product?

Mr Chan: Uh, anybody can buy our product and our products are available through our website. 

Rachel: Okay. That's good. Perfect. And we'll link those in the notes. 

Mr Chan: Oh, thanks. [00:11:00]

Rachel: Perfect. How many cats have you got at the moment? 

Mr Chan: At the moment, I have 40 cats. 

Rachel: What? 

Paula: Wow! 

Mr Chan: I have 40 cats, 2 dogs, and 3 rabbits. 

Rachel: Wow. Oh my goodness. Wow. I 

Mr Chan: think what happened was, uh, I, you know, I always, I always say I need to control my population. I need to reduce the number of animals that I have. But a lot of times when I see a case out there, I would have my suspicion what happened to the cat or dog.

Mr Chan: I'm, I know what to do. And then it really bothers me if that animal is still on the street. So in the end, nevermind, I just jump in and do what I need to do. But I will say that, uh, it, it can get very stressful because. You [00:12:00] know, uh, for example, right now I have about eight of the cats who are FELV positive.

Mr Chan: So they are in, uh, uh, uh, they are in this place that I call the Rahula, FELV sanctuary. Then I have cats who have high blood pressure, heart condition, and of course, the vet fees are piling up, so it can get very stressful, but on the other hand, if I take a step back and look at them, I would say that of the animals that I have, 80 percent would have passed away if I have not taken them in.

Mr Chan: So from that point of view, uh, you know, life is priceless, right? So it's okay. I think that's, that is how I reach this population. 

Paula: Wow. If, um, if someone out there has a, a sick cat, can they come to you for advice? If [00:13:00] they wanted to honestly, uh, obviously look after their own cat, can they message you and get some advice on the next step of helping their own cat?

Mr Chan: Yes, yes, yes. That happens all the time. I mean, because You know, certain issue people are not familiar with. Sometimes people get worried when their pets are not well. So they often contact me for information. I'm more than happy to share. 

Paula: Oh, that's nice. And I guess, do you, I mean, do you get a lot of people calling you to take their cats or is, is the cats you take just, uh, mainly stray cats?

Mr Chan: Uh, a lot, a lot of people will contact me, but I guess, As in all other things, you need to strike a balance. Uh, we want to rescue as many as we need to, but on the other hand, we don't want to create dependency. So, you know, at the end of the day, when an animal is sick, what they need most are the people [00:14:00] who they are comfortable and know.

Mr Chan: all their life. So to, to, to change a sick animal's environment creates unnecessary stress. So if this animals have the owner, it's best for the owner to give them all the care that they need. But there are situations like, for example, uh, animal on the street, we've, we've, we've, if not taken in, their condition will go down very fast.

Mr Chan: Then, you It's best that they are brought indoors or cases where if they are not taken in, they have, they run the risk of spreading a disease. So this we take in to prevent, to protect the animal, to prevent the spread of disease like FELV. 

Rachel: Yeah. Wow. It's really, really amazing work that what you're doing for the animals on the streets.

Rachel: And, um, could I ask you, I know you also produce [00:15:00] documentaries about this. Um, could you just tell us a little bit about these documentaries? 

Mr Chan: Yeah, uh, I'm an anthropologist by training. So my films are ethnographic based. Uh, I think there are a lot of, I think there are a lot of aspects of animal rescue work that the general public is not aware of.

Mr Chan: And through this documentary, we bring them into the world of animal rescue. We also bring them to see the world. From the rescuers and the animals perspective. And I think by, by doing, uh, things like this, we help to raise awareness of animal welfare and also to promote dialogue. 

Rachel: That's great. What is your most popular documentary called?

Mr Chan: Uh, there are two actually, uh, I produced one on FIV and, uh, it's this cat that was rescued in Tampines. He was, when he was rescued, he [00:16:00] was in very, very bad shape and he was very, very aggressive to humans. Uh, he was almost put to sleep because one group felt he looked too sick and dying. So I took him over.

Mr Chan: Uh, his name was Sawyer. So, I cannot go near him. I can only place the foot where he is, walk away. But I'll try, I'll talk to him and explain to him why is he here. It took almost, I, I, I took, I think it took about a month or two before I could touch him and hug him. But by then, he's already put on weight.

Mr Chan: He'd look. Totally different from the original cat that I took home. Uh, and now what happened is every time, you know, when I talk to him or when I lie down, he will pop right in front of my face like a rabbit. It's so cool. In the end, Sawyer acquired a new name, and his new official name is called Sawyer T.[00:17:00]

Mr Chan: Rabbit. Rabbit because of his behavior and his nickname. The T stands for Tampines where he was rescued and people felt it was such and wow, you know, what a name, Sawyer T Rabbit. 

Paula: So 

Mr Chan: when we did the documentary, the title of the documentary is called Saving Sawyer T Rabbit. 

Rachel: Oh nice. Yeah, that's sweet.. 

Mr Chan: The theme song, uh, the theme song for this documentary, uh, is this song called The Little White Boat.

Mr Chan: Uh, this music we use with permission from the Tang Ensemble, uh, you know, the, the group in Singapore. So, the Little White Boat, most people in Asia would have heard about, heard of this song, and they would have associated with it. Uh, as a Chinese children's song, but [00:18:00] actually this song was Korean in its origin.

Mr Chan: Now, when, when this song was first written, this Korean writer wrote it in memory of a deceased sister. He was hoping that this white boat would bring the sister To a better place and the stars would act as lighthouses to guide her to a better place. Uh, later when the Chinese rewrote the song, it became a song about a better future for children.

Mr Chan: So I thought that for FIV, you know, rabbit is FIV positive. And I thought this song with its dual meaning has very interesting similarity to FIV rescue work. That means When I take in an FIV cat, I always, especially in Rabbit's case, he looks so bad, I have to be prepared for the worst. 

Paula: Yeah. 

Mr Chan: I [00:19:00] can do whatever I want to do, but he may just go.

Mr Chan: So you have to be prepared for that. We do have cases where after we take them in, they, they, they go. You, you cannot do anything about it. The only thing you can say is that at least they go. From a place of peace and they, they, they, they have no fear when they go in cases like rabbit, you know, we, we managed to revive him and he put on weight and he became this cute little boy that you cannot recognize from an earlier picture.

Mr Chan: So to me, those cats that we try and leave. All we can hope is the Korean version that they are guided to a better place. For those who manage to rescue, you know, and they get well, then we will adopt them, give them all the love and a happy future. So that, that theme song basically Is what the kind [00:20:00] of attitude we have towards the FIV rescue and after Rabbit's film was produced, Rabbit went on to win, I believe about 24 awards from around the world.

Paula: Wow. Fantastic. 

Mr Chan: Some of the film fest even have trophies, so we present the trophy to Rabbit and he's, he's got this, this face.

Mr Chan: Another documentary I produced is called, uh, Year of the Dog. So, so, you know, if you're in Singapore, you will know that every Chinese New Year, uh, is the year of an animal. So, what I, what I wanted to discuss is how, in the year of the dog, there are so much celebration around the dogs. Hey, you know, what is the reality of dogs on the street?

Mr Chan: How is their life like? And the, the style of that documentary [00:21:00] is a Singapore special that we adopt. I told the shelter, I would like to have a senior dog. Uh, I want a color or breed that is hard to rehome. So the shelter thought for a few minutes and said, okay, take Molly. So later when I asked, hey, why, why did you give me Molly?

Mr Chan: And they told me, Molly, tick all the wrong boxes. Okay, she is a huge dog. She's an old dog. She's a Singapore Special and she's a black dog. So all of this, all of these boxes meant the chance of rehoming a dog like that is extremely low. So, but when Molly came, she got on very well with our cats. Uh, we, we love her and she was just amazing.

Mr Chan: So I thought to use Molly's story to, to share. About this, but in, in Molly's film, I also raised one issue and that is [00:22:00] when you see a cat on the street, try, try not to complain about them because you see this dog on the street, behind the scene, there are many people putting in a lot of effort to improve their quality of life.

Mr Chan: They will feed the dog, they will try to rescue the dog, they will try to find a shelter, they will try to rehome the dogs. And for Singapore special, what happened is some of these Singapore specials are adopted by expatriates in Singapore. And when these expats leave Singapore, they bring their dogs back with them.

Mr Chan: So if you look at it from this point of view, Singapore Special becomes Singapore's culture export to the rest of the world. For the expats who brought the dogs with them, this dog represents a very beautiful memory and a beautiful relationship with Singapore. And of it, this dog is like [00:23:00] the best souvenir of their time in Singapore.

Paula: That's us. 

Mr Chan: Yeah. So I discussed about that in the film. And in the end, I managed to get a group of expat who sent me a video of them and their Singapore special from different parts of the world. And towards the end of the film, they're all waving at us. Hello from New York. Hello from London. I say that, Hey, look, this dog on the street, homeless, hungry, when conditions ripen, they become somebody's pet and they even become Singapore's ambassador to the world.

Mr Chan: I mean, how wonderful it is. So, you know, let's, let's be kind to them. So, uh, Year of the Dog, I think, won about, I cannot remember, but I think close to 20 awards as well. And as you know, I present Molly with her trophy. 

Paula: Yeah,[00:24:00]

Rachel: so adorable. 

Paula: Where do we find these, um, documentaries of yours? 

Mr Chan: Oh, um, what I usually do with the documentary is I will organize a screening from time to time. And, uh, my films are not in social media because, uh, they are still going around in different film fest around the world. 

Paula: Wow. 

Mr Chan: So I, what I usually do with the film is, uh, you know, if I sell a ticket, for people to come and watch.

Mr Chan: Everybody who buys the ticket would come because they like the film, they, they know the issue, they, they want to support this initiative. But the problem is everybody who buy the ticket and come, they would already have known all the issues. So basically you are preaching to the converted. 

Paula: Yeah. 

Mr Chan: What I always do is make it a free screening so that [00:25:00] anybody who is interested can come.

Mr Chan: Also, there are people who might be interested but they cannot afford to come. But I don't think they should be denied or cut off just because they cannot afford the ticket. So it's okay. It's a free screening. After the screening, pay as you wish. And whatever money that is collected, we will use it to send food to the respective rescuers and shelters.

Mr Chan: For more information, visit www. FEMA. gov 

Rachel: Oh, that's lovely. Wow. That's such a lovely thing. So 

Mr Chan: I hope, I hope that the screening and the Q& A that follows it plants a seed in people's mind so that the next time they see an animal on the street, uh, I think my standards are rather low. Uh, I don't need them to become rescuers.

Mr Chan: I just need them to have a neutral attitude when it comes to, when they see an animal on the street. Just don't complain. Don't, don't complain about that. 

Paula: When, how do people find out about your screenings? 

Mr Chan: Oh, I will announce them on our [00:26:00] Facebook. 

Paula: And 

Mr Chan: I'm also on Ptex. 

Paula: Okay. So, I mean, we'll put them in your Facebook page in our show notes so that people can, uh, I guess, follow you along and find out when the screenings are.

Paula: Is 

Rachel: there anything else you'd like to add?

Mr Chan: I just had a few more things to see, you know, on our pet food, Goldie. All the animals that are featured on our pet food, uh, are rescued by us and they were once abandoned. They were once abused.

Mr Chan: They once looked very, very bad and we put them as models on the product because number one, we are proud of our rescue. Why shouldn't they be model? But on the other hand, it also sparks dialogue about, you know, a pet. I, I have, I have, cats are F-I-V-F-E-L-V on the product. I also have cats who are, you know, blind in one eye.

Mr Chan: And basically what I'm trying to say is, it doesn't matter. Yeah, [00:27:00] yeah. It's not the 

Rachel: pretty ones, it's the, the ones that you saved and it's really lovely. 

Mr Chan: At the end of the day, pet ownership is not about acquiring, uh, object. It's about, it's, it's building of a relationship and the most beautiful outcome is that bond between you and the animal, not how the animal will look like.

Mr Chan: I think. You know, like in humans and in animals, as they age, they will, they will one day not look as cute as they were. But that is the time when they need you the most. So it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what they are. And I think the other issue I will talk about is the issue of, uh, cruelty to animals.

Mr Chan: I think the reason why sometimes people behave badly towards animal is because They know, for example, a cat is a living thing. No dispute about that. [00:28:00] I think in cats case, people probably see cats as an easier target because cats are less likely to go after you, like for maybe a dog. So they become the subject of, of, of abuse or cruelty.

Mr Chan: And I think what. The difference between these two is they know the cat is a living thing, but they may not accept the cat as a sentient being. Okay. If you accept the cat as a sentient being, you accept that they are, you know, like humans, they are capable of emotions of thoughts. They feel sad when things are bad things happen.

Mr Chan: And if people can see an animal like that, they are less likely to behave badly towards them. So, for example, Some children may scare the cat or even to kick them. And when feeders or rescuers confront the child, the parents would say things like, It's just a [00:29:00] cat. What is the problem? And this, I think, what best explains this situation is they know it's a cat, but they do not accept it as a sentient being.

Mr Chan: I think in my, you know, in my rescue journey, When I bring in an animal, I always tell them that, listen, I don't know what you have been through or how much suffering you have had to endure, but the moment you come over here is where you draw a line. Everything has happened has happened, you know, we can't change that.

Mr Chan: But what I can change is what happened after this. Because, you know, if I know how much suffering you have been through, I want to compensate you with more than double that suffering with me. Love. Okay. You know, for example, if you have 10 units of suffering, I want to give you more than 20 units of love.

Mr Chan: I want you to, I wanna make you the happiest baby [00:30:00] I can, you know, and the other, the, you know, 

Mr Chan: I do palliative care. So sometimes, you know, okay. Palliative care means the cat is, the animal is already dying. You don't try to fight. and get the animal well. You accept that animal is dying. You reach a point where you know the animal is going.

Mr Chan: And I see them as sentient beings. And what I usually tell them is, I would tell them, you know, like my first FELV cat, he was already dying. I know that. So I told him that, Hey, listen, if there is a cure now, no matter how much it costs, I will go all the way to help you get well, but we don't have that option anymore.

Mr Chan: So. What I would like you to do is, you know, I want to assure you that whenever you're ready, just go, you don't worry about me. But I think it's very important to be honest with them. So I tell him that, Hey, you know, after you go, Papa [00:31:00] will be very, very sad, but I will be okay. You don't worry about me. You focus on yourself.

Mr Chan: Let go of this body. Go to the rainbow bridge. I will be okay. You do not have to worry about me. I will always love you. I will never, never forget you. And I find it after you give them permission and you give them assurance, right? They go very fast and very peacefully. So 

Rachel: that's so sweet. Yeah. 

Mr Chan: I think I think, like I said, you know, rescue work is about life.

Mr Chan: It's about, I say about love and respect for life. 

Rachel: It's lovely. And so, um, what are your hopes and plans for the future of Animal Human Alliance? 

Mr Chan: Um, my immediate plan is I'm, I'm planning to launch the product in United States. 

Paula: In 

Mr Chan: the next few months, and I already have a project in the [00:32:00] U. S. and that is to give food to dogs owned by the homeless in San Francisco.

Mr Chan: Once that is done, I also have a message and that is, you know, to tell, uh, the experts in Singapore or even in Asia, if you see a cat or a dog that you like, go ahead and adopt, you know, and if they are enjoying Goldie food, when you go back to America, the same food is there. So, you know, go ahead, go ahead, adopt and then bring them home with you.

Mr Chan: Uh, uh, bigger, the bigger wishes, of course, to grow the business because that. You know, growing the business will help with paying off all the vet bills and, uh, I hope to bring the brands to more countries, but I, I, I want my agents and partners to be animal lovers, to be people who are supportive of rescue work and people who are supportive of adoption.

Mr Chan: So, you know, I, you know, Let's hope, let's hope things happen one stage at a [00:33:00] time. 

Paula: That's very nice. Um, all for you and, uh, fostering and, and, you know, rescuing animals, it's a very, very good cause. Um, I'd like to thank you for coming on today because I, I think what you're doing is remarkable and we need more people in the world like you.

Paula: So thank you, Chan. 

Rachel: Yeah. Thank you. It's been lovely to hear all your stories. Yeah. Thank you very much.