A man who filmed himself hitting a dog and burning its fur has turned himself in to the police, after a video of his actions made the rounds online, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said on Tuesday.
The Straits Times understands that while he lives in Thailand and filmed the video there, he resided in Singapore for a time.
On Sunday night, the SPCA and the police visited a Housing Board flat in Tampines after a report was filed on the case. The SPCA declined to comment on the investigation.
The police said the case has been referred to the Animal and Veterinary Service, which is under the National Parks Board (NParks), for investigation.
NParks said the Animal and Veterinary Service is aware of the incident and understands the matter is now being handled by the Thai authorities.
Earlier on Sunday night, the SPCA took to Facebook to seek information about the man.
The man, known by his Facebook username Woo Zhi Heng Samuel, posted the video on the social media platform with the caption: "Don't make (me) angry when I (have) no money, my dog also I (don't) give chance."
A screenshot of Mr Woo's Facebook post with the video was later posted on Sunday by another Facebook user, sparking anger among netizens.
The post on the screenshot has been shared at least 3,000 times since then.
In the video, the man, who appears to be Mr Woo, hits a pomeranian with a helmet while the dog yelps and tries to hide from him. He also uses a lighter to burn the animal's fur.
The original video can no longer be found on Mr Woo's Facebook page.
In an update on Tuesday, the SPCA said the man contacted the society on Monday and offered to cooperate with the Thai authorities to take responsibility for his actions, as well as to have the dog assessed.
"He has since visited the Thai police to own up to what he did. The Thai authorities are currently investigating the case," the SPCA said.
In a Facebook video posted on Monday night, Mr Woo apologised for his actions, while a woman, Facebook user Min Min Yo, translated in Thai in the same clip.
"The video that I posted yesterday was (from) a few months back. Today, the dog is okay," Mr Woo says in the video.
"I'm sorry for what I've done. I promise this will be the first and the last time... I'm ready to face... punishment. I hope that everyone can give me a second chance."
He adds that he will turn himself in to the police.
In a separate post, Mr Woo shared a photo of himself apparently taken at a police station in Thailand, as well as a video of him playing with what looks like the Pomeranian in the first video.
Besides the post, he also shared two videos by Ms Min Min Yo, in which she plays with the dog and says: "She's with me, don't worry. (I'll) take care (of her), she's really good.
"(The viral video) is really old, that time we (were) not together. I brought (her) to stay with me."
