SINGAPORE - Animals here had their worst year in more than a decade as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) investigated 862 cases of cruelty and welfare concerns between July 2022 and June 2023.

The figure is the highest in 11 years since the period of July 2011 to June 2012, when it recorded 1,017 cases. Between July and September 2023, there were 196 cases.

SPCA, which released the figures on Saturday at its yearly fund-raising gala dinner, also attended to 4,737 animals in distress in the year ending June 2023.

In that same period, it helped 266 abandoned animals – a sharp increase from a yearly average of up to 70 cases in previous years. 

Speaking at the gala dinner at One Farrer Hotel on Saturday night, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said: “For some time now, our animal welfare legislation has been tightened up, but I went back and asked for volunteers to see what else we can do because it seems wrong to me that animals are brought in, purely for the purposes of breeding, and kept in a cage and given this sort of life.

“So (the Animal and Veterinary Service) kindly agreed that we consider legislation. I asked for volunteers, and a lot of volunteers came forward to help draft additional rules, so people want to see a better framework and change.”

He did not elaborate on what these rules might be, nor did he set out a schedule.

In explaining the surge in cases of late, SPCA said it could have been due to a greater awareness and willingness on the public’s part to make reports.

“We also see a lot of compromised welfare situations, neglect of pets that may have gone unseen during the pandemic. There is also an increase in abandonment cases,” it added.

Mr Shanmugam said the rise in abandonments was likely due to people buying pets for companionship during the Covid-19 pandemic, and then realising they could not care for the animals after the lifting of restrictions.

Many hunkered down at home during the pandemic to curb the spread of the virus.

He told a crowd of several hundred donors and guests: “This sort of mindset… of buying a pet in a moment, or for short-term comfort and companionship, and then abandoning it when the situation changes or when the novelty wears off, I think is quite sad.”

Mr Shanmugam also said cases of animal smuggling, often in abject conditions, were a result of the demand for purchased dogs. 

Between 2019 and 2022, the Animal and Veterinary Service investigated about 1,250 cases of alleged animal cruelty and abuse each year.

Mr Shanmugam encouraged people to adopt pets instead of buying them, as there are many animals without a home that would make good companions.

During his speech, he played a video of his dogs: Millie, a retired police dog, and Princess, Scruffy and Brownie, which he adopted from pet shelters.

Few visitors, he said, wanted to adopt Princess because she was blind in one eye.

“I went to adopt, with the idea to adopt one dog,” he said. “I ended up adopting three.”

Mr Shanmugam thanked SPCA, which marks its 76th anniversary, for its role in protecting animals.

SPCA executive director Aarthi Sankar said in a message to donors that the group faces mounting challenges post-pandemic, including slowing adoption rates and the highest levels of animal cruelty in years.

It needs more than $4 million a year to run its services, she added. These include carrying out investigations, providing pets in low-income households with free health screenings, and rallying the community to protect animals.

Ms Sankar said: “It has been a challenging year for the SPCA and the animal welfare community. The SPCA’s work has become more pressing than before, and our operating costs have risen with the increased demand for our help.

“We are grateful for the compassionate individuals and organisations that have stepped forward to lend their support to our mission. It truly takes an entire community to make a real difference.”