Come say hi to NUS Toddycats! at FOB2022 (21-22 May 22, Botany Centre, SBG)

NUS Toddycats! are glad to be back in face to face action at the Festival of Biodiversity 2022!

The Festival of Biodiversity (FOB) is an annual biodiversity outreach event since 2012, by the National Parks Board in collaboration with the Biodiversity Roundtable. We are delighted to share stories with members of public curious about Singapore’s biodiversity during this event.

FOB2022 details:

• Sat 21st & Sun 22nd May 2022
• 9.00am – 6.00pm
• Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens

The FOB2022 team warmed up with a visit to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve where we refreshed ourselves with encounters with the flora and fauna, all in the good company of new and old friends!

The indoor preparatory workshop was held at LKCNHM where it was lovely to meet up with the NUS Toddycats! team once again. Activities and specimens combined with guiding tips shared by seniors made the learning event active and enjoyable!

FOB2022 is our first face-to-face outreach for the public in two years, and our volunteers are raring to share stories of our local biodiversity specimens.

Curious about wildlife in Singapore? Visit FOB2022 and chat with us and the many other nature groups at Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 21 – 22 May, 2022!

Cheers,
Theresa & Weiting
Toddycats FOB Organising Committee 2022

Toddycats supports Singapore’s first Climate Rally, a call for urgent climate action

Toddycats went down to Hong Lim Park on 21 Sep 2019 Sat, 3.00 – 6.00pm to show support to Singapore’s First Climate Rally, organised by youths to call on the government and industries to take on more drastic climate action. The rally is also timed to be a part of the worldwide climate strikes, started by climate activist, Greta Thunberg.

Once emerging from the MRT station, I realised it wasn’t just a few people gathering. There were so many others who also shared the same sentiments that more could be done in Singapore and we have to take climate action now. It was really heartening to see that people of all ages (not only the youths) viewed the climate crisis seriously enough to come down to Hong Lim Park on a hazy Saturday afternoon to be a part of this rally.

Participants were asked to come in red as it signified that current situation of our climate

After entering the area, we were all ready to listen to the speeches.

There were six speeches given by Lad Komal Bhupendra, Karen Sim, Ellen Wu, N. Sivasothi, Oliver Chua and Ho Xiang Tian. All of them delivered speeches with fire and passion. Each of the speakers shared their sentiments, and also included systemic solutions which were pitched to various levels of society, industries and the government to adopt.

The climate rally might be the first, but it wouldn’t be the last time you hear people asking for action to be done. The chance to reverse climate crisis is getting smaller and smaller. Now is the time to make big changes for the climate. The climate actions need to happen at all levels of society and fast. We don’t want the climate crisis to become a climate disaster, do we?

 

A celebration of Toddycats at the Festival of Biodiversity 2019

25 & 26 May 2019 – Festival of Biodiversity (FOB) is Toddycats’ main outreach event and this year was a return to action! NParks had secured the FOB2019 venue at Toa Payoh Hub, and we knew to expect a large crowd over the  two days. Indeed NParks would later report that an estimated of 25,000 people visited the Festival which featured 22 booths, 19 workshops and 46 partners over the two days. 

In addition to our usual booths on biodiversity, Toddycats included our International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS) project this year. Collectively we showcased the rich terrestrial, coastal and marine biodiversity to be found Singapore. Toddycats’ volunteers had trained through walks and workshops prior to the festival, also shared with the public the threats faced by wildlife in Singapore, and the everyday action we can take to make our environment a more liveable place for all living organisms.

If you missed out on the action, view the  photos here.

Over the course of the two days, you might have met some of our awesome 40+ volunteers who were at the two-day event – Amanda Lek, Beatriz Fernandez, Benjamin Chew, Catalina Tong, Cherry Goh Pei Shan, Chong Siew Men Choo Le Min, David Yeo, Elizabeth (Liz) Lim, Emily Ng Qi Ying, Erin Tan Hie, Ho Lijean, Jharyathri Thiagarajah, Julianne Thu Kwa Kee Lang, Liew Fui Lian, Ling Chyuan Liang Benedict, Magena Yeo, Miguel Loh Wai Tong, Nicole Lai Yun-Ki, Olivia Tay, Ong Yue Qi Quek Yew Hock, Samuel Chan, Spencer Yau, Tan Tee Kheng, Tang Li Hua, Toh Meng Hai Victor, Xu Rui Hua Jeff, Yee Zhi Wei Daniel Rebekah Susserott, Nafisah Md Ismail, Marcus Tay Guan Hock, Charlene Goh, Xinlei, Srishti Arora, Sherilyn Wong Jo-Yin, Olivia Lee, Kang Li Xin Sim Hong Jhun, Yu Chew Peng, Phoebe Lim Zhixuan, Joelle Lai, Fung Tze Kwan, Joleen Chan, Theresa Su and Xu Weiting

Special thanks to our volunteers and let’s do this again next year at FOB2020!

 

Call for Toddycats Volunteer Festival of Biodiversity 2019 – signups are still open!

Are you interested to share stories of biodiversity in Singapore with members of the public? Join us at Festival of Biodiversity on the last weekend of May 2019 at HDB Toa Payoh Hub and experience a meaningful engagement!

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  Engage heartlanders with stories of our local wildlife

The Festival of Biodiversity is an annual biodiversity outreach event, organised by National Parks Board in collaboration with the Biodiversity Roundtable since 2012. This two-day event allows us to reach out to many heartlanders unfamiliar with Singapore’s biodiversity. If you are keen to join us, register here – https://tinyurl.com/toddycats-fob2019.

Here are the details of the festival:
Date: 25 and 26 May 2019 (Sat and Sun)
Venue: HDB Hub Mall at Toa Payoh
Time: 10.30 am to 10.30 pm

Like the past FOBs, we hope to recruit enough volunteers so that every guide who interacts with the public is fresh and ready! Just signing up and preparing for a single shift makes a massive difference! And we will prepare all volunteers with training.

Compulsory training dates:
15 May 2019 (Wed): 7 pm – 10 pm OR
18 May 2019 (Sat): 9 am – 12 pm

We will need all the volunteer help that we can get, so grab a friend and volunteer with us for FOB2019 – https://tinyurl.com/toddycats-fob2019.

We do look forward to your participation in the Festival of Biodiversity; if the previous six years were anything to go by, it will be a blast!

Cheers,
Theresa & Weiting
Toddycats FOB Organising Committee 2019

Showing our love for the environment @ NUS PEACE Animal Day 2019

The NUS Toddycats roadshow team was back at NUS UTown SRC again on Wed 20 Feb 2019, at the invitation of NUS PEACE which includes the various projects, NUS Cat Cafe, NUS Paw Friends (feat Mutts & Mittens), NUS Therapy Dogs and VEGE team.

The NUS Toddycats booth, all ready to welcome guests with our museum specimens, photo props and friendly guides, Lixin and Wan Wen.

The museum specimens, together with the stories allowed the audience to better understand how plastics that we use in our daily lives can be such a big threat to our marine wildlife. After listening to the plight of our marine environment and marine life, many were game to do take a pledge, a small step to making a difference to the environment.

This awesome exchange student already attended a Sembawang Beach coastal cleanup and asked how to contribute MORE!

We love reading all the pledges penned down by the public, including these, by the NUS Pawfriends and Mutts& Mittens team!

We hope that every one will try to complete ALL
the pledge items, just like this role model!

We had a blast talking to everyone who stopped by, and were glad for the many who penned a pledge to demonstrate their love for nature and the environment in Singapore.

Thanks to NUS PEACE for the great experience amidst many passionate and active volunteers who were busy raising awareness for animal welfare, animal shelters and promoting a cruelty-free diet. And our furry friends who visited with us. Well done NUS PEACE!