The Straits Times - Our letter to ST's Forum
March 2006


Dear Editor,

We refer to the report "Man jailed 3 months for torturing kitten till its eye protruded" (ST, March 7) and the subsequent letters to your Forum page (ST, March 10).

We applaud the authorities for taking action against David Hooi Yin Weng and sending a clear message that animal abuse is a criminal offence which will not be tolerated.

We wish to highlight that outright physical abuse is just one form of torture. The House Rabbit Society of Singapore (HRSS) sees many other types of animal abuse regularly:

1. Poor living conditions and negligence
Not giving the pet enough space to stand up, stretch or move around; denying proper food or water; housing them in filthy, unhygienic conditions; and not providing medical care when the pet is injured or ill, all constitute abuse. Sadly, it is not just pet owners but many pet shops that treat animals in such inhumane ways.

2. Psychological abuse
Keeping the animal caged up the entire day without any interaction with humans, other animals, and toys, constitutes abuse too. Rabbits, like all other pets, need plenty of social stimulation and physical exercise for their well being.

3. Abandonment
Abandoning a pet is the worst thing one can do to a trusting companion. More than a 1,000 rabbits alone are abandoned in Singapore every year. Domestic pets lack the survival instincts to fend for themselves. They must never be abandoned in public parks or other open areas. The "lucky" ones that don't get eaten by predators, get run over by cars or die from heat or disease. If one can no longer keep his/her pet, he/she should try to find a new home for it or at least contact an animal welfare group for assistance.

In our small way, we try to help whenever we can. However, our intervention often comes too late for the animals. The attached sad stories and pictures of Miracle and Faith - two rabbits that crossed our paths recently - make us feel ashamed of calling ourselves Singaporeans. (Editor's note: Please feel free to publish these stories and pictures)

We urge all Singaporeans to speak up against animal abuse. If you see anyone mistreating or abandoning animals, please come forward like Ms Ngiam Mui Wah to report the crime to the Police and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authroity (AVA). Ms Ngiam's actions should be an inspiration to all.

We also share Cat Welfare Society's concerns that sometimes law-enforcement officials are not knowledgeable about animal cruelty laws of Singapore or are unwilling to confront the culprits. This is perhaps the reason why there are so few convictions for animal cruelty. We therefore appeal to the authorities to ensure that each reported case of animal abuse is properly investigated and that the abusers are brought to justice.

Let's all do our part to stamp out animal abuse from Singapore.

Sincerely,

Ngiam Wee Heng (Ms)
President
House Rabbits Society (Singapore)
Address: Toa Payoh Central Post Office, PO Box 108, Singapore 913104

Story of Little Miracle, the abandoned bunny

On 30 April 2005, a member of the public made a call to our hotline to inform us about a badly injured rabbit found near a heavy vehicle car park along Hillview Avenue.

The rabbit was in a severe state when it was picked up by one of our volunteers. Maggots and ants were found all over her body and were eating her alive.

We believe that her irresponsible owners had set her “free” at Bukit Batok Park, which was near the heavy vehicle car park. She had most probably been attacked by stray dogs and cats in that area, causing her to be severely injured with open wounds and decaying flesh. She was literally all skin and bones and she could barely hobble from the sores on her feet and paws when we found her.

We tried our best to save her by bringing her to the vet and religiously applying medication and washing her wounds but unfortunately, she passed away on 9 May 2005 due to infection and lack of proper food, water and shelter when she was being abandoned at the park.

Domesticated rabbits cannot and will not survive in the wild and will end up dying slow painful deaths - like this rabbit that we found.

Story of Faith, the neglected bunny

On 20th July 2005, HRSS received an email from a rabbit owner requesting for relocation help after taking care of Faith for four years. After further enquiries, we realised she is suffering from sore hocks. We advised him to take her to the vet as soon as possible and update us accordingly.

Several weeks later, we had not heard from the pet owner and decided to call to check if everything was ok. But to our dismay, nothing was done.

We took the initiative to retrieve Faith on 21st August 2005. Upon our arrival at the home, we discovered Faith crouched-up in a wired bottom cage with a cabbage heart lying nearby. We learnt that her condition has been this way for a while.

We struggled to comprehend how Faith could be neglected for such an extended period. Faith was extremely tame and enjoyed our petting during the journey to the vet. After the vet assessed Faith, the conclusion was sad. All four paws were inflamed. There was a lump on her chest due to prolong pressure. The infection had gone in to her joints/bones of her hind legs and she was in pain. We could see pus oozing from her hind leg.

The vet suggested surgery to remove the pus, but warned it will be extremely complex and risky. With all four of Faith's paws suffering from inflammation, surgery would reduce her mobility to zero. Even so, the healing process would be long.

The vet gave us two options: to go ahead with the surgery or euthanise the bunny. We had a dilemma, but in the end, we decided for the surgery and allow herself to make the decision whether she wants to continue to live or not. Despite what she had suffered in her past life, we wanted her to know there was some love in this world.

Faith died in HRSS' care on 14 December 2005 due to organ failure.