MORE RABBITS BEING GIVEN UP OR ABANDONED
The Straits Times, 11 Jul 2002

SPCA takes in 60 to 70 unwanted bunnies a month. In May, it received a record number of more than 100.
By Ginnie Teo
CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT

CATS and dogs are not the only household pets being abandoned and given up these days. Rabbits have also joined the list.

Each month, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) takes in 60 to 70 unwanted bunnies. Last year alone, about 1,000 of them were handed to the society.

News of this trend comes after Monday's announcement in Parliament that the Animals and Birds Act has been given more bite to deal with people who are cruel to animals.

The maximum fines and jail terms for such offences have been raised to $10,000 and 12 months respectively, up from $500 and six months. Abandoning an animal will also become an offence.

-- ALBERT SIM

This lop-eared rabbit (below) which was suffering from scabies, was given up to the SPCA recently, while this common rabbit (above) was abandoned.

Executive officer of the SPCA Deirdre Moss said: 'We welcome the changes to the law. The previous penalties were not strong enough to be a deterrent. Hopefully, people will be more aware of animal abuse now.'

Each year, the society and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore have to put down about 9,000 dogs and 12,000 cats.

The number of animal-abuse reports has also gone up in the last five years. In 1998, there were 363 calls reporting such behaviour; last year, the SPCA received 523 calls.

Of the 300 dogs it takes in each month, about 90 are lost or abandoned. It also receives about 500 cats a month, most of which are strays.

About two years ago, the society noticed that the number of rabbits coming to it was rising.

Ms Moss said: 'There are so many pet shops selling them now... As they are small, people assume it'll be easy to take care of them. But soon, the novelty wears off and they decide they can't take care of them any more.'

She added that most owners were caught unawares when the rabbits started to multiply and they could not cope with the extra numbers.

In May, the society received more than 100, a record. On average, 70 per cent of them are given up by owners, while 30 per cent are found lost and assumed to have been abandoned.

And it is not only the common pink or white rabbits that are meeting this fate.

The SPCA has also seen $400 lop-eared rabbits - with long ears which hang down - as well as Angoras, the long-furred creatures that can cost $1,000 at a pet shop.

Many of the unwanted bunnies are sick and need immediate medical attention. Most suffer from scabies, a skin condition that arises because of neglect and unhygienic living conditions.

Now, there is help for them: A non-profit organisation called the House Rabbit Society of Singapore was set up this year.

It is made up of volunteers who run a fostering programme to rescue and find new homes for abandoned bunnies.

Society president Kapil Sharma said: 'Many people buy pets on impulse... The problem is particularly acute for rabbits, as people assume wrongly that they are low-maintenance starter pets.'