S'pore's ‘powerhouse' in wildlife rescue Anbarasi Boopal steps down from Acres

Straits Times

17-05-2025

Ms Anbarasi Boopal officially stepped down as co-chief executive of Acres, a wildlife rescue group on April 30. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
SINGAPORE - After close to two decades of advocating for wildlife and caring for them at Acres , Ms Anbarasi Boopal has packed up her bags to take a break.
The 42-year-old officially stepped down as co-chief executive of Acres, a wildlife rescue group on April 30 .
She hopes to take some time off in the next few months, but told The Straits Times she next hopes to work on policies on welfare of farmed animals.
'Nature makes me feel at peace, so the peace is lost when I see nature suffering,' she said in an interview on April 21 at Acres Wildlife Rescue Centre in Sungei Tengah. 'When I see animals suffering, I find it very unfair.'
Ms Boopal is known among the nature community for her passion for animals and her deep conviction in advocating for their rights, giving talks on human-wildlife coexistence, and taking part in biodiversity events.
No animal is too small or unimportant, and she has spoken up for all sorts of creatures, from well-loved pangolins, to the pythons and pigeons that many people complain about.
She has also contributed to efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade in Singapore.
For example, she oversaw the repatriation of 51 illegally trafficked Indian star tortoises back to India in 2018. The tortoises, coveted for their star-patterned shells, were rescued from a variety of places in Singapore such as homes and even the briefcases of smugglers.
She also helped to expose the trade in alleged tiger parts being illegally sold in jewellery shops here in 2010.
Her journey with Acres started in 2005, when she was still a graduate student pursuing a master of science in environmental management from NUS.
Ms Boopal - more affectionately known as Anbu - had found an Indian star tortoise that was being kept illegally in a backyard, and informed Acres about it.
She had assumed that Acres, which was formed in 2001 , had a rescue centre where the tortoise could be kept under the right conditions. The humid environment in Singapore was not conducive for an animal usually found in drier conditions, she said.
But when Mr Louis Ng, the Acres founder, came to pick up the tortoise the next day, Ms Boopal said she was shocked to find out that there was no rescue centre in Singapore. Soon after, she began volunteering at Acres.
Acres Co-CEO Anbarasi Boopal is known among the nature community for her passion for animals and her deep conviction in advocating for their rights.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
Her initial plan was to complete the graduate studies before returning to India where she hoped to join a government agency to work on policies related to wildlife.
But the plan changed after she decided to join Acres full-time in 2007 as 'the calling was very strong' to help animals despite a 'huge' pay cut.
She was part of the team that built Singapore's first wildlife rescue centre in Sungei Tengah. The Acres Wildlife Rescue Centre was officially opened in 2009 and serves as a safe haven for injured and illegally traded animals.
During her time in Acres, Ms Boopal said one of her notable achievements was uncovering alleged tiger parts being illegally sold in jewellery shops and antique shops here.
'It was by chance that I found out that a jewellery shop in Little India was selling tiger parts,' she said, adding that sellers told her that tiger teeth and claws were believed to bring about protection.
Acres' undercover operation in 2010 eventually led the authorities then to investigate. They ended up seizing a total of 320 pieces of alleged tiger parts from 30 shops.
But to combat illegal wildlife trade, education is key, said Ms Boopal, adding that was a key part of Acres' work.
Such efforts are not glamorous, but are the backbone of advocacy, she added.
'It's not like rescuing a snake and releasing it which is seen as a heroic act. It's very instantly rewarding. But education, we don't see the impact immediately and we probably have to wait for a generation to see the trend. It's very difficult to quantify impact as well,' she said.
Instead of keeping illegal wildlife as pets, Ms Boopal said animal lovers should consider sponsoring an animal's care in a sanctuary or support conservation efforts where they are preserving habitat and the animals together instead.
In 2021, she was promoted from Acres deputy chief executive to co-chief executive with Mr Kalaivanan Balakrishnan.
As a leader of the charity, one obstacle she had to overcome was raising funds.
'If you give me a room full of 1000 animals, I can give them the best outcome. But if you ask me to raise $1.7 million a year, that was something I had to learn,' she said.
But she said she enjoys working with people by nature and took time to build relationships with others, eventually reaching her targets with her team .
Over the years, Ms Boopal said she has observed changes in Singaporeans' attitude toward wildlife – with society becoming kinder and more compassionate.
Instead of receiving calls just to remove an animal from a location, Ms Boopal said the calls Acres receives are mostly calls for help on how to help or deal with the animal.
'People generally care… They take time on top of their daily life to pick up the phone and call to say that they found this injured animal and asked if we can help.'
Acres Co-CEO Anbarasi Boopal at Acres Wildlife Rescue Centre, next to the enclosure of a common snapping turtle on April 21.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
But there is always room for improvement, she said, pointing to the importance of ending culling as a wildlife management strategy – especially for birds like pigeons and crows.
Ms Boopal, who has been a vegetarian since young, also hopes that Singaporeans can be more compassionate to animals through their lifestyle such as eating less meat or using animal cruelty-free products.
'There are so many ways to help animals directly, but not eating them is the most straightforward way. You basically save lives, right?'
Her advocacy efforts even led to a restaurant naming a dish after her.
On the menu at Georges, a restaurant located a three-minute drive away from Acres, is a dish called Anbu's Broccoli Crisps. This, said the menu, is a 'lightly sea salted karaage broccoli inspired by one of 'our local heroic advocates for animal welfare''.
'That's my lifetime achievement,' Ms Boopal quipped.
Mr Kalaivanan, who is now the Acres chief executive, said that Ms Boopal and he had together pushed the boundaries of what they believed was possible in both advocacy and rescue work.
'Life in an non-governmental organisation is never easy, but we stood strong through countless challenges, including the pandemic,' he said.
'Her gentle and kind nature was unmistakable, yet beneath that calm exterior lay a fierce passion that drove her unwavering commitment to animal advocacy,' he said, adding that she will continue to be a powerful voice for animals wherever she goes.
Mr N. Sivasothi, a senior lecturer at NUS who has worked with Ms Boopal for 20 years , said she has been a 'powerhouse' in the nature and animal welfare community in Singapore.
The pair had worked together on various initiatives convened by the nature community, such as on the working groups for marine turtles, long-tailed macaques and wildlife roadkill, as well as the Our Wild Neighbours initiative which advocates for human-wildlife coexistence.
'While Anbu contributes tirelessly on the ground, she has also provided thought leadership throughout this time, and advanced the thinking of our community… She represents an icon to aspire to and to empower others, and is certainly an extraordinary individual we are proud to be able to call our own,' he added.
Nature Society (Singapore) conservation committee chair Leong Kwok Peng, who has known Ms Boopal for about two decades, said she provided insightful information and recommendations, especially about human-wildlife conflict, during Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) engagements
Not only has she been approachable, Ms Boopal also readily shared information, such as wildlife roadkill data, with the society.
Mr Kannan Raja, president of the Herpetological Society of Singapore, said Ms Boopal's advocacy for human-wildlife co-existence was consistent and courageous. 'Anbu's voice was usually among the first and firmest when speaking against cruelty,' he said.
Citing an example of she was among the first to call out an incident of a reticulated python being burnt alive in November 2024, Mr Kannan said her response framed the issue such that it rallied public attention and compassion without resorting to outrage or name-calling.
'Anbu's tireless work has significantly improved Singapore's wildlife landscape,' he said.
'While her departure from Acres marks the end of a chapter, her influence will continue to shape the conservation space here for years to come.'
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