Animal cruelty and welfare cases

From 2018 to 2021, the amount of feedback received relating to animal cruelty and welfare rose from 2,490 to 3,025 cases. However, this increase is likely due to the public’s greater awareness of animal welfare rather than increased incidence of cruelty. Our investigations showed that majority of the feedback received was not related to animal cruelty or animal welfare. Instead, the feedback pertained mostly to nuisance caused by pets (e.g. loud noises, unpleasant smell, poor hygiene), and neighbourly disputes. 

Challenges

Investigations into cases of animal cruelty and poor animal welfare are challenging. Some challenges faced during this investigations include:

• Lack of eye witnesses and direct evidence (e.g. relevant CCTV footage).
• Carcasses were disposed of, or found to be in bad condition, even before the case was reported. This makes post-mortem analysis impossible.
• Cases not being reported for follow-up.
• Case reports are delayed, which may impede investigations.