19-year-old S’porean launches animal rescue platform after years of saving wildlife

MS Features: The student who launched the animal rescue platform Pawscue

While most Singaporean students are still reeling from the mental fatigue of the GCE ‘A’ Levels, 19-year-old Yan Yi Fan jumped straight into a passion project which has since become a reality.

The former Jurong Pioneer Junior College student has loved animals for as long as she can remember. And now, she is channelling this dedication into her new animal rescue platform, Pawscue.

Over the years, Yi Fan has saved dozens of animals, to the point that she is charmingly known as the “Snow White” of her friend group.

However, something shifted when she sheltered a vulnerable baby Oriole in May last year, just months before the biggest exam of her student life thus far.

“After the Oriole rescue, many reached out to me when they encountered injured animals,” said Yi Fan, whose childhood dream was to open shelters for animals.

She then realised that there was only so much that she, as one individual, could do.

Wants to make animal rescue more accessible

Like most of her previous rescues, Yi Fan came across the baby Oriole by pure chance.

With dozens of rescues under her belt, including 12 birds in 2019 alone, she didn’t think twice about stepping in to save it from the crows.

Others, however, may not have the same instinctive reaction or confidence she has in such situations — and that’s exactly where Pawscue comes in.

In just one click, the platform enables the public to report an animal in need, allowing others to step in to help.

A nifty location tracker helps quickly and accurately pinpoint where the animal was found, while intuitive drop-down menus let you indicate its condition and other details.

Once the report is submitted, it will appear on the ‘Map’ page, complete with a location pin.

Pawsome keeps the process straightforward so that neighbours, shelters, and responders can respond immediately. Ultimately benefiting wildlife in and out of Singapore.

“Many times, people would sympathise with animals in need but not help due to knowledge and time constraints,” said Yi Fan.

“This website can maximise the cases of animal rescues as both professionals and people who have knowledge in animal care can check the Pawscue map for distressed animals.”

Over time, she hopes to build a community of animal lovers around her platform that inspires one another through their rescue stories.

“I always post my animal rescues to spread more awareness of being kind to animals,” added Yi Fan.

“I hope people can learn to empathise more with animals through the website too.”

Proud father lends a hand

Though the independent teen is no stranger to rescuing animals solo, developing a website that works seamlessly is another matter altogether. For that, Yi Fan has her father to thank.

For one or two hours after his workdays, university professor Yan Jie sits down with his daughter to bring her big idea to life.

The father-daughter pair now work as a team. Yi Fan designs the Pawscue user interface and scripts the content for social media posts. Mr Yan generates these designs and ideas into vivid animations.

“I was excited, because I took it as a sign that she matured. She always loved animals, but now she’s thinking about how to make a bigger impact,” said Mr Yan. He joked that he was somewhat of her tech support guy.

“I never imagined that I would be working with her on such a project.”

As the pair mean to keep the platform non-profit and community-based, they face the challenge of keeping costs low.

When they found that hiring web developers for such an interactive interface would cost a small fortune, Yi Fan and her father turned to Vibe Coding, which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support their programming.

Now, Yi Fan is learning to troubleshoot issues and building her confidence in handling the platform’s operations.

Eventually, she hopes to take over the reins fully.

Singaporean ‘Snow White’ saves animals even on holiday

Pawscue comes years after Yi Fan started rescuing animals. While she was studying for her GCE ‘O’ Levels, the teen nursed an injured green pigeon back to health.

When she released it into the wild, the same bird kept coming back to keep her company during her study sessions.

Her affinity with animals doesn’t stop in Singapore.

While on holiday, Yi Fan has also retrieved a bird from freezing waters in Nanjing, China, and found a foster home for an orphaned kitten in Shanghai through her efforts on Xiaohongshu.

“Knowing that that tiny life transitioned from a freezing garage floor to a warm bed — all because of a little bit of patience and a social media post — is a memory from that trip I will cherish forever,” she wrote.

For her, rescuing animals comes naturally.

Purchasing their necessities, feeding them, and building them a temporary shelter, for instance, are small sacrifices for their welfare.

However, Yi Fan is more than aware that she is not a professional.

Despite her efforts to nurse every animal, Yi Fan has lost a few due to time restrictions, especially nearing exams.

“It would be best to bring the animals to organisations where they are guaranteed professional help,” she said.

As for next steps, Yi Fan plans to volunteer with animal welfare organisations such as the SPCA and ACRES once she starts university.

While she may not be studying to become a veterinarian or zoologist, she will continue protecting animals in her own special way.

Also read: Young S’porean duo have no regrets moving to Thailand, share how their lives have improved