Animal Abuse in Singapore

Animal Abuse in Singapore

1. Introduction

A series of appalling cases of animal cruelty occurred in Singapore during the month of April, 2013. One such case involved the poisoning and killing of seven stray dogs in Punggol. Another case saw two cats found dead in Tanglin Halt, suspected to have been beaten to death (Tan and Lee, 2013). These are just 2 of the many cases that happened in April 2013 alone. There has also been an increase in animal abuse cases handled by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), specifically from 292 cases in 2007 to 484 cases in 2012 (Heng, 2013). This brings to light the issue of animal abuse in Singapore, as well as questions on whether the current laws in place are sufficient in deterring it or not. The purpose of this paper is to report on the current situation of animal abuse in Singapore. It covers Singapore’s ongoing situation of animal cruelty, as well as common types of animal abuse and cruelty. The paper also looks at why animal abuse should be taken seriously, in addition to reasons, consequences and measures taken to prevent animal abuse in Singapore.

2. The current situation of animal abuse in Singapore

2.1 The common types of animal abuse

Even in a civilised society like Singapore, animal abuse is still a prominent issue. Animal abuse is the act of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death of an animal, usually a tame animal and domestic, pets. “Out of about 1,000 cases of alleged animal abuse the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) handled and investigated last year, at least 70 per cent involved pet neglect (“SPCA: 70% of animal cruelty due to neglect”, 2012)”. In other words, most pet owners who were charged with animal abuse were unable to provide the adequate care to meet the needs of their pets. Examples of neglect include keeping cats caged up or dogs leashed for long periods of time, or leaving their pets outdoors unattended. However, this does not rule out the existence of other serious cases of animal abuse, examples including injuring or even killing animals. Unfortunately, only a fraction of reported cases of animal abuse lead to the suspect being charged by the relevant authorities. This is due to a “lack of incriminating evidence that is required in order to prosecute these offenders.” (Boh, 2013)” Thus, there is still a significant amount of animal abusers who remain at large, as there is not enough evidence to convict them of their crime.

2.2. Why animal abuse should be taken seriously

For several centuries, animals have been needed in this world for various reasons, with common ones being as companions or for work. Even when abused, animals are unable to verbally stand up for themselves.

It is a criminal offense in any country to abuse animals, domestic or not. In Singapore, animal cruelty is a chargeable offense and “those convicted criminals can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to a year, or both (Tan, 2014).”

Animal abusers are often associated with violence as well, with notable examples such as domestic violence or even murder. A study done in 11 U.S. cities revealed that “having a history of pet abuse is one of the four most significant indicators of who is at risk of becoming a domestic batterer (Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty, 2014).” Animal abuse should therefore not be regarded as a trival matter.

3. Reasons, consequences of animal abuse, and measures taken to prevent animal abuse

3.1 Reasons for animal abuse

Some people might have been influenced in their childhood by acts of abuse carried out on animals in their environment, and were not corrected or educated by adults such as their parents. This might leave an impression on their minds, thinking that animal abuse is an act that is not morally or criminally wrong.

Current offenders of animal abuse may have not been caught or charged by the relevant authorities for their own respective cases of animal cruelty. This is mostly due to the lack of evidence or witnesses. Ms Corinne Fong, executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), mentioned that ““neighbours who witness acts of animal abuse being carried out prefer not to act as witnesses in these cases, as they do not want get into trouble with them (offenders).” (“Stiffer penalty for animal abusers”, 2014).”

Some animal abusers also hurt animals as an outlet for their anger, or in some cases, pleasure over the sense of control they exert over the animal. Furthermore, the abusive actions of these abusers tend to be deliberate, since “the animals are unable to retaliate. (Choo, 2014).”

3.2 Effects of animal abuse

Committing animal abuse from childhood might escalate even further in adulthood. It was reported that Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer “decapitated dogs, staked cats to trees and impaled the heads of frogs, cats and dogs on sticks. (Tan, 2014)” during his childhood. Later, in the span of 13 years between 1978 and 1991, he committed several crimes of rape, murder and dismemberment. This suggests that animal abuse, if untreated or unarrested, has a potentially dangerous psychological effect on the minds of youths.

3.3 Ways to prevent animal abuse

There are laws in place in every country to deter animal abuse. Currently in Singapore, offenders convicted of animal cruelty under the Animals and Birds Act may receive a fine of up to $10,000, a jail sentence of up to 1 year, or even both. Recent recommendations made by the Animal Welfare Legislation Review Committee which were accepted by the National Development Ministry have made changes to the law. Now, the maximum penalty for repeat offenders “could increase to a maximum fine of $50,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both for repeat offenders (Tan, 2014).” In addition to the above, animal abusers