SINGAPORE – In a quiet room at the Centre for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (CAVS), the air is cool and smells faintly of disinfectant.

While many veterinarians spend their mornings greeted by barking dogs or purring cats in a clinic, my day begins with a silence filled with unanswered questions.

I am a veterinarian at the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), a cluster of the National Parks Board. My patients are no longer living, but they still have stories to tell – stories that I am tasked to uncover.

Whether I am performing a post-mortem examination to give a grieving owner closure, investigating a case of suspected animal cruelty or searching for signs of diseases that could threaten Singapore’s national biosecurity, my work is a different kind of veterinary medicine. It is forensic and scientific, yet paradoxically, deeply emotional.

Reflecting on my diverse career journey, people often ask why I chose public service instead of the more traditional route of a private clinic. The answer comes down to how I can more broadly contribute to the lives of many.

Like many veterinarians, my love for animals started at a young age.

I was the child who stopped to admire every creature, no matter how small. While other kids watched cartoons, my favourite TV series growing up was the classic nature documentary, Planet Earth (1986).

My family kept small pets – fish, hamsters, chicks – and I adored them. However, they eventually died, as all pets do.

I was heartbroken and confused. I remember feeling helpless, wishing I knew why they had to die and what more I could have done. That desire for answers sparked my first interest in becoming a veterinarian.

As I went through veterinary school, my perspective widened. While private veterinarians do heroic work saving one precious life at a time, working for the Government would allow me to make decisions that could protect thousands. I was also drawn to the variety of roles AVS offered, allowing veterinarians to explore di...