SCORES OF ANIMALS STILL BEING DUMPED
The Sunday Times, 29 Sep 2002

WITH Thursday being World Animal Day, pet welfare groups feel there is no better time to remind Singaporeans that thousands of unwanted cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs are abandoned here every month.

Animals which are old, sickly or temperamental are put down immediately by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority. Each month, it does this for about 550 cats and 340 dogs.

The SPCA takes in around 1,000 animals a month. Only 10 per cent find new homes.

Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) and the Cat Welfare Society get about 40 e-mail messages and phone calls a month from owners who want to ditch their animals.

And this month alone, the House Rabbit Society of Singapore (HRSS) had over 30 such requests.

The excuse heard time and again is 'no time'.

HRSS president Kapil Sharma said: 'The most alarming reason we've heard is that the owner was suffering from post-natal syndrome and was constantly screaming at the rabbits.'

There are also those who dump their animals wherever it is convenient for them - reservoirs, Housing Board void decks and even carparks.

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

ASD president Ricky Yeo said: 'The Government is driving home the point that abandoning pets is wrong and I couldn't be gladder... These people see the animal as a product - one that can be discarded when it's no longer cute, or useful or when it becomes an inconvenience.'