SINGAPORE: The number of cases involving animal cruelty and welfare in Singapore rose to a 12-year high in 2024, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said on Tuesday (Jan 7).
There were 961 confirmed cases, up from 915 in 2023.
Of the 961 cases last year, 283 (29.4 per cent) involved animal cruelty or abuse, while 678 (70.6 per cent) were poor welfare or neglect cases.
Cruelty or abuse refers to the intentional infliction of pain, suffering, or death on an animal, while welfare or neglect cases involve a failure to meet basic needs, resulting in poor living conditions and suffering.
A total of 2,190 animals made up the cruelty or welfare cases in 2024, of which a majority (1,330) were cats. This was followed by dogs (376), birds (172) and small rodents comprising hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas and guinea pigs (131). There were also 118 fishes and terrapins, and 57 rabbits in the list. Other animals accounted for the remaining six.
SPCA defines animal cruelty to include abandonment, physical abuse, death, inhumane trapping, hit and runs, and exposure to aversive training methods.
There were 283 cases of cruelty involving 453 animals in 2024, said SPCA. Abandonment was the most common form of cruelty with 120 instances involving 257 animals.
Physical abuse was the second most common cruelty classification at 84 cases, with 33 cases of intentional inflicting of harm and causing death.
Cats were again the majority of victims by far (220), followed by dogs at 93, and hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas and guinea pigs at 40.
In 2024, a man pleaded guilty to throwing cats down HDB blocks, among other abuses.
And in another high-profile case, a maid was sentenced to jail after it was found that she, following her employer’s instructions, had abused a pet poodle by hitting it and suspending it from a balcony railing, causing the dog’s death.
SPCA said that while pet owners may outsource their pets’ care, they are still responsible for their pets’ well-being.
“In entrusting their pet to someone else, owners are accountable for identifying a suitable caregiver, educating the caregiver on appropriate pet care, monitoring the caregiver’s fidelity in exercising duty of care, and ensuring that the pet’s welfare is not compromised in any way by the transfer of primary caregiving duties,” said SPCA in its report.
The domestic helper had been told by her employer to hang the dog from the balcony to expose it to the sun, ostensibly to reduce the dog’s odour.
SPCA said pet care must be grounded in welfare science rather than inferred from other household practices.
“Household lore tells us that sunning our clothes can help to reduce the smell of mildew. However, this cannot be extended - lock, stock, and barrel - to a dog with bad odour,” said SPCA.
“The odour may be due to a medical condition which then needs to be treated under veterinary advice. Even if sunning is indicated, caution should be taken to avoid direct sunlight which can cause sunburn and to secure the pet in a comfortable manner, certainly not by hanging.”
SPCA also noted that some perpetrators of animal cruelty have been young people, with 15 such cases recorded in 2024, more than double that of the six cases in 2023.
While some cases may stem from benign intent, such as lifting a rabbit by the ears, others are suggestive of malicious intent, such as the beating of pet dogs or the shooting of community cats with a pellet gun.
“While the number is still small, it is deeply concerning when we consider that these are our youngest members of society,” said SPCA.
“In a developmental stage where peer influence takes precedence, youth learn quickly from one another. If the situation is not arrested, they may get desensitised to animal cruelty and regard it as the norm.”
SPCA's report also showed that the organisation investigated 678 cases of poor welfare, involving 1,737 animals.
This took the form of dissatisfactory living conditions, high-rise syndrome (pets falling from height due to failure to secure the home), pets left unattended, pets allowed to roam freely outdoors, neglected medical conditions, illegal sales of pets, and animal hoarding.
Dissatisfactory living conditions were the most common at 324 cases, followed by high-rise syndrome at 134 cases involving 141 animals. Pets being left unattended was the third most common at 69 cases.
As with animal cruelty, cats were once again the most common victim at 1,110 animals, followed by dogs at 283 animals and birds at 134 animals.
SPCA noted that it responded to 23 hoarding cases in 2024, involving a total of 355 animals. Pet hoarding refers to the accumulation of animals beyond a person’s ability to care for them adequately.
Last month, SPCA and the National Parks Board (NParks) were alerted to a case of animal neglect, after cats were observed falling from the window of an HDB flat in Bedok.
More than dozen cats were later found in the flat. Some had died and the rest in poor condition.
And in April 2024, a 31-year-old man was sentenced to jail for neglecting 43 cats in his flat by failing to provide adequate food and water and leaving them unattended for several months.
He said that he only had three cats initially, but because they were not sterilised, they started to breed uncontrollably until he lost count of the number of cats staying in his house.
“Hoarding usually arises from accidental breeding between unsterilised pets, especially cats and small animals who are prolific breeders,” said SPCA. “The immediate focus is on sterilising the animals and addressing any emergency medical conditions.”
“While people may keep pets for companionship when they feel socially isolated, it is equally important to ensure the wellbeing of these pets,” it added.
SPCA also investigated 56 cases of errant practices by pet businesses in 2024.
In one case, a corgi died in the care of a groomer after it fell off a table and hung itself by the leash around its neck that was attached to a grooming arm meant to hold it in place.
Earlier in 2024, two trainers were seen hitting and pushing two dogs to get them to sit during a photo-taking session.
“Offences against animals are all the more inexcusable when committed by the very people who are entrusted with animal care, especially when they tout themselves as professionals and make a profit in today’s booming pet industry,” said SPCA.
“Unfortunately, higher expectations by the public have not translated into greater accountability on the part of many pet service providers. The SPCA has been lobbying the government on issues such as imposing greater accountability on pet service providers”.
SPCA added that while pet owners may outsource the care of their pets, they must understand that the responsibility ultimately rests on them. Therefore they must thoroughly review their options for service providers before making an informed decision.
While 2,190 animal victims were recorded in 2024, SPCA noted that the actual number may be higher as many cases go unnoticed or unreported, and the victims often do not survive long enough to be rescued.
As a non-governmental animal welfare charity, SPCA said its ability to intervene is also constrained by the lack of legal authority.
It called on members of the public to cooperate with the authorities like the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) or the police, and to document evidence of animal cruelty to assist with legal proceedings.
“Every contribution makes a difference, especially in a time when our animals need us the most,” said SPCA.
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There were 961 confirmed cases, up from 915 in 2023.
Of the 961 cases last year, 283 (29.4 per cent) involved animal cruelty or abuse, while 678 (70.6 per cent) were poor welfare or neglect cases.
Cruelty or abuse refers to the intentional infliction of pain, suffering, or death on an animal, while welfare or neglect cases involve a failure to meet basic needs, resulting in poor living conditions and suffering.
A total of 2,190 animals made up the cruelty or welfare cases in 2024, of which a majority (1,330) were cats. This was followed by dogs (376), birds (172) and small rodents comprising hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas and guinea pigs (131). There were also 118 fishes and terrapins, and 57 rabbits in the list. Other animals accounted for the remaining six.
ANIMAL CRUELTY
SPCA defines animal cruelty to include abandonment, physical abuse, death, inhumane trapping, hit and runs, and exposure to aversive training methods.
There were 283 cases of cruelty involving 453 animals in 2024, said SPCA. Abandonment was the most common form of cruelty with 120 instances involving 257 animals.
Physical abuse was the second most common cruelty classification at 84 cases, with 33 cases of intentional inflicting of harm and causing death.
Cats were again the majority of victims by far (220), followed by dogs at 93, and hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas and guinea pigs at 40.
In 2024, a man pleaded guilty to throwing cats down HDB blocks, among other abuses.
And in another high-profile case, a maid was sentenced to jail after it was found that she, following her employer’s instructions, had abused a pet poodle by hitting it and suspending it from a balcony railing, causing the dog’s death.
Related:
SPCA said that while pet owners may outsource their pets’ care, they are still responsible for their pets’ well-being.
“In entrusting their pet to someone else, owners are accountable for identifying a suitable caregiver, educating the caregiver on appropriate pet care, monitoring the caregiver’s fidelity in exercising duty of care, and ensuring that the pet’s welfare is not compromised in any way by the transfer of primary caregiving duties,” said SPCA in its report.
The domestic helper had been told by her employer to hang the dog from the balcony to expose it to the sun, ostensibly to reduce the dog’s odour.
SPCA said pet care must be grounded in welfare science rather than inferred from other household practices.
“Household lore tells us that sunning our clothes can help to reduce the smell of mildew. However, this cannot be extended - lock, stock, and barrel - to a dog with bad odour,” said SPCA.
“The odour may be due to a medical condition which then needs to be treated under veterinary advice. Even if sunning is indicated, caution should be taken to avoid direct sunlight which can cause sunburn and to secure the pet in a comfortable manner, certainly not by hanging.”
SPCA also noted that some perpetrators of animal cruelty have been young people, with 15 such cases recorded in 2024, more than double that of the six cases in 2023.
While some cases may stem from benign intent, such as lifting a rabbit by the ears, others are suggestive of malicious intent, such as the beating of pet dogs or the shooting of community cats with a pellet gun.
“While the number is still small, it is deeply concerning when we consider that these are our youngest members of society,” said SPCA.
“In a developmental stage where peer influence takes precedence, youth learn quickly from one another. If the situation is not arrested, they may get desensitised to animal cruelty and regard it as the norm.”
POOR WELFARE AND NEGLECT
SPCA's report also showed that the organisation investigated 678 cases of poor welfare, involving 1,737 animals.
This took the form of dissatisfactory living conditions, high-rise syndrome (pets falling from height due to failure to secure the home), pets left unattended, pets allowed to roam freely outdoors, neglected medical conditions, illegal sales of pets, and animal hoarding.
Dissatisfactory living conditions were the most common at 324 cases, followed by high-rise syndrome at 134 cases involving 141 animals. Pets being left unattended was the third most common at 69 cases.
As with animal cruelty, cats were once again the most common victim at 1,110 animals, followed by dogs at 283 animals and birds at 134 animals.
SPCA noted that it responded to 23 hoarding cases in 2024, involving a total of 355 animals. Pet hoarding refers to the accumulation of animals beyond a person’s ability to care for them adequately.
Related:
Last month, SPCA and the National Parks Board (NParks) were alerted to a case of animal neglect, after cats were observed falling from the window of an HDB flat in Bedok.
More than dozen cats were later found in the flat. Some had died and the rest in poor condition.
And in April 2024, a 31-year-old man was sentenced to jail for neglecting 43 cats in his flat by failing to provide adequate food and water and leaving them unattended for several months.
He said that he only had three cats initially, but because they were not sterilised, they started to breed uncontrollably until he lost count of the number of cats staying in his house.
“Hoarding usually arises from accidental breeding between unsterilised pets, especially cats and small animals who are prolific breeders,” said SPCA. “The immediate focus is on sterilising the animals and addressing any emergency medical conditions.”
“While people may keep pets for companionship when they feel socially isolated, it is equally important to ensure the wellbeing of these pets,” it added.
ERRANT PET BUSINESSES
SPCA also investigated 56 cases of errant practices by pet businesses in 2024.
In one case, a corgi died in the care of a groomer after it fell off a table and hung itself by the leash around its neck that was attached to a grooming arm meant to hold it in place.
Earlier in 2024, two trainers were seen hitting and pushing two dogs to get them to sit during a photo-taking session.
“Offences against animals are all the more inexcusable when committed by the very people who are entrusted with animal care, especially when they tout themselves as professionals and make a profit in today’s booming pet industry,” said SPCA.
“Unfortunately, higher expectations by the public have not translated into greater accountability on the part of many pet service providers. The SPCA has been lobbying the government on issues such as imposing greater accountability on pet service providers”.
Related:
SPCA added that while pet owners may outsource the care of their pets, they must understand that the responsibility ultimately rests on them. Therefore they must thoroughly review their options for service providers before making an informed decision.
While 2,190 animal victims were recorded in 2024, SPCA noted that the actual number may be higher as many cases go unnoticed or unreported, and the victims often do not survive long enough to be rescued.
As a non-governmental animal welfare charity, SPCA said its ability to intervene is also constrained by the lack of legal authority.
It called on members of the public to cooperate with the authorities like the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) or the police, and to document evidence of animal cruelty to assist with legal proceedings.
“Every contribution makes a difference, especially in a time when our animals need us the most,” said SPCA.
Continue reading...