Who has been killing Yishun cats?
Melanie Heng
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2015
Despite their hardest efforts, Yishun residents and cat lovers have failed to stop the senseless killing of cats in the area.
The anger was palpable online after another cat was killed on Saturday, bringing the tally to 16 dead cats and one injured since Sept 24.
The cat suffered trauma to its head and was found dead after bleeding extensively at the basement of the carpark at Block 115B, Yishun Ring Road.
Reacting to Yishun 326 Tabby Cat's Facebook post on the cat, user Vis Sky Ong said he was very angry while user Serene Chai said she was "upset to see cats die in this way". They were among the 80 people who commented on the post.
There has been a spate of cat deaths this year in Yishun.
Over two days in September, four cats were found dead. Over 12 days in October, another seven were found dead.
In response to the cat killings, Mr Louis Ng, Nee Soon MP and executive director of Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), yesterday announced a roll-out of a series of measures to tackle the problem. (See report at right.)
After the October deaths, Mr Ng, who said he was very disturbed by the deaths, had vowed to ensure that the people behind these "barbaric acts" were caught. The cats were found injured or killed through different means, said Yishun resident Janet Sum, 53.
The founder of animal interest group Yishun 326 Tabby Cat said that most injuries were trauma to the head and to the back.
"We had a case where the cat's eye was gouged out and its tongue slit. We have had cats thrown from height and there was one whose limbs were chopped off," said Ms Sum. "There was also a case of strangulation, the rope still attached to the cat's neck when it was found."
PUZZLING
"We can tell when cats have been thrown from height because the bleeding comes from different parts of the body.
But there are puzzling cases where we don't know what happened to the cat," added Ms Sum, citing poisoning as a possible cause.
A Cat Welfare Society (CWS) spokesman said this has been the worst spate of cat killings in Singapore.
In June, it was reported that there was a series of cat abuse cases in Pasir Ris Park. Seven were found dead.
The CWS spokesman added that such actions cannot be seen as isolated cases of animal hatred.
"Its roots can be mental illness or extreme delinquency that may be translated to actions towards humans in future," the spokesman said.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) is the lead agency involved in investigations and members of the public can contact it if they have any information.
AVA can be reached at its 24-hour number: 1800-476-1600.
Anyone found guilty of animal cruelty can be fined up to $15,000 and/or jailed up to 18 months.
In response to the recent spate of cat killings, Nee Soon MP Louis Ng held a media briefing yesterday to introduce a series of measures to help prevent more cat abuse cases in his ward. The New Paper also asked the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for its take on the measures.
FAST RESPONSE TEAM
A grassroots fast response team has been officially initiated, to help gather evidence of cat abuse cases and make systematic patrols to complement the authorities' efforts.
"What I hope for this team to do is to be the first respondents," said Mr Ng, who is also the founder and executive director of wildlife rescue group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society. "If there is another cat killing, this team will go over immediately and knock on doors to ask for possible information."
The fast response team is made up of 20 to 30 grassroots members, cat lovers and residents.
SPCA's deputy executive director Selina Sebastian said that door-to-door appeals, which the fast response team is doing, can complement efforts by SPCA, which has put up posters appealing for information on the killings.
IN-VEHICLE CAMERAS
Mr Ng has also appealed for footage to obtain possible leads to suspects.
"If there are cars parked there, we can appeal to the car owners for their in-vehicle cameras to obtain footage," he said.
Ms Sebastian said the main problem is lack of witnesses.
She said: "Members of the public or community watch groups as well as cat caregivers can alert the police or SPCA immediately when they find an injured or dead cat so that the necessary medical examination can be carried out without delay.
"Photo evidence at the scene of the alleged abuse, including the surrounding area, is also recommended."
CCTV
Mr Ng revealed that more high-resolution closed-circuit television cameras have been installed in the Nee Soon GRC area. The police are also on the lookout.
A police spokesman at the briefing told TNP: "Police officers on daily patrol have been told to look out for suspicious activities related to animal abuse as well as suspicious characters who could be animal abusers.
"If there are any suspects reported to have been involved in animal abuse cases, the police will hand them over to Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore for investigations."
[email protected]
