With "Taro" my hamster, being two years plus old and passed on due to old age. I went on with a private cremation for Taro at Rainbow Paradise. While posting photos of Taro's crossing the rainbow bridge and sending her off, I've got responses from my followers on Instagram's stories.
There were questions like, why don't you throw it into the bin instead? How is the cremation process like for first-time pets owners? & etc. I would like to share my experience and knowledge on my blog here.
According to NEA, pets owners with animal carcasses should not bring them to WTE (Waste-to-Energy plants for disposal as it is designed for incineration of municipal solid waste. Advisable to bring your pet's corpse to Commercial animal crematoria instead. However, if the small pets owner chooses to throw it away in the rubbish cute it is not exactly illegal for small pets disposal. But grey zone, owners of smaller pets like ornamental fish, birds, hamsters, etc. may carefully wrap the carcasses and dispose of them together with their properly bagged general waste as mentioned according to NEA's website. However, according to EPH (Environmental Public Health) stated:
12.—(1) No person shall deposit or cause or permit to be deposited in any refuse bin any dead animal, dung or stable refuse.
19.—(1) Every person within whose premises any animal dies shall, within 24 hours after its death, bury the carcase at his own expense or dispose of it at his own expense in such manner as the Director-General may direct.
(2) No person shall dispose of the carcase by depositing it in any street, open ground, drain, canal, stream, river, reservoir, or seashore.
Illegal or not... In my own opinion, I would never want to imagine how my pets corpse is being crushed by the wholesome rubbish waste. I would prefer to send my pets off in a gentle way.
If you can do the best for your pets even till their death, why not? An alternate option is to send your small animals off is either to bury them or cremate them. If you're living in a private property, you can bury it within your property, if you're living in an HDB you can choose to cremate them with cremation companies.
What to bring to cremation companies?
- Your pets favourite Food & Toys
- Flowers
- Remember to send a Digital photo of your pet
Most of the cremation companies provide 3 types of cremation:
- Communal cremation: this involves the pets being cremated with the others. Pet owners who choose this option will not get to witness the process nor keep their pet's ashes. Depending on the company, they may bury the ashes or scatter them into the sea.
- Individual cremation: this involves the pet being cremated within an individual partition while sharing the cremation chamber with other pets. Pet owners will be able to bring their pet's ashes back in an urn however unable to witness the process.
- Private cremation: this allows pets to be placed in the cremation chamber alone and the remains will be returned to the pet's owner in an urn. Family and friends are able to witness the cremation process.
The price range varies on the type of pets as well as the types of cremation as mentioned above.
On peak period, they may not be able to slot within the same day. The pet will be placed in a fridge to prevent decomposition.
There are also 24-hour hotlines at your service. It's hard to predict death and it may occur at the most unexpected timing. You are able to get professional guidance and support during this tough time.
So what's after the Cremation?
For pets owners who may not wish to collect the pet's ashes back home, the cremation company may have the service for scattering the ashes into the sea. If you would like to scatter it on your own, you can do so yourself but do note that Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore specifies that scattering of ashes must be done 2.8km south of Palau Semakau.
You can also transform their ashes into beautiful art pieces, for keepsake.
Many people and I agree that pets are not simply an animal who share the same living space but they are family with us. We naturally want to give them the best till the end. Saying Goodbye is never easy.
Allow yourself some time to grieve over the loss for your fur-babies.
Thank you Rainbow Paradise for sending Taro off to the Rainbow bridge so thoughtfully and nicely decorated. Words can't describe how thankful I am. The printed cards and sincere write-ups add on the personal touch and make us feel better. Thankful for that.
♥ Thanks for reading as always!
THANK YOU AH! 谢谢! Terima Kasih! ありがとうございました!