Latest news with #catabuse
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
‘What kind of person will do this?': Singapore's Yishun again under spotlight after new cat death
SINGAPORE, June 3 — Authorities are investigating after a cat was found dead with its legs unnaturally splayed at the foot of a staircase in Yishun, the National Parks Board (NParks) said today. The incident, which took place at Block 510A along Yishun Street 51, came to public attention on Sunday following a Facebook post that included photos of the animal's body, according to a report published in Channel News Asia. 'NParks received feedback on a cat found dead at the foot of a staircase at Yishun Street 51 and is looking into the matter,' the agency said in response to media queries. 'We urge the public not to speculate on the details of the case and allow investigations to run its proper course.' The Facebook post by the group Sayang Our Singapore's Community Cats claimed that a 24-hour hotline was contacted but no help was rendered, with a screenshot indicating the number belonged to a private veterinary clinic. The group also noted the discovery was made near a location where another cat had previously been found dead with serious injuries. Yishun has seen a series of similar incidents, with cats found either dead or injured under suspicious circumstances, raising concerns among animal welfare advocates and the public. Last month, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam highlighted a particularly gruesome case in Yishun Street 51, where a cat was reportedly tortured, mutilated and left on the road. 'What kind of person will do this? This is not who we are as a people,' he wrote on Facebook. Sayang Our Singapore's Community Cats described the cat in that incident as having been 'brutally tortured and left on the road in a failed attempt to disguise this crime as an accident'. In a separate case in Punggol, another cat was found injured near the loading bay at Block 326B, Sumang Walk. NParks later said its injuries were likely from a traffic accident rather than intentional cruelty. According to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), reports of animal cruelty and welfare cases in Singapore hit a 12-year high last year, with 961 cases recorded in 2024.
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CNA
4 days ago
- General
- CNA
NParks investigating after cat found dead with legs splayed in Yishun
SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) is investigating after a cat was found dead in Yishun with its legs positioned in an unusual, splayed manner. "NParks received feedback on a cat found dead at the foot of a staircase at Yishun Street 51 and is looking into the matter," it said on Monday (Jun 2) in response to CNA queries. "We urge the public not to speculate on the details of the case and allow investigations to run its proper course." The incident first came to light on Sunday via a post in Facebook group Sayang Our Singapore's Community Cats, which included photos of a dead cat found at what appears to be a Housing and Development Board (HDB) staircase landing. According to the poster, the cat was found at Block 510A in Yishun. A screenshot of a text message stated that a 24-hour hotline was called, but no assistance was provided. CNA understands the 24-hour hotline was that of a private vet clinic. According to the post, this incident took place near the block where another cat was found dead in Yishun with severe injuries. RECENT INCIDENTS This is the latest in a spate of incidents in which cats in Yishun and Punggol were found dead with injuries. In a Facebook post last month, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam drew attention to another similar incident that took place in Yishun Street 51, saying: "A community cat in Yishun had been tortured, eyes gouged out, body cut up and organs split. "What kind of person will do this? This is not who we are as a people." Facebook page Sayang Our Singapore's Community Cats said the cat had been found "brutally tortured and left on the road in a failed attempt to disguise this crime as an accident". In a separate incident, another cat was found injured at the loading and unloading bay near Block 326B, Sumang Walk in Punggol. NParks said investigations showed its injuries were likely result of a traffic accident, as opposed to a deliberate act of animal cruelty. In 2024, the number of cases involving animal cruelty and welfare in Singapore rose to a 12-year high of 961, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
CNA
23-05-2025
- CNA
CCTVs, knocking on doors: What else will it take to nab community cat abusers?
In May 2023, the lifeless and bloodied body of a young tuxedo tabby cat named Tuxy was found at the open-air carpark next to a block of flats in Hougang. The gruesome find shocked volunteer feeders in the area who immediately sprung into action to gather information to catch the abuser. 'We went door-to-door personally to visit each unit and requested video footage from those with a camera facing the corridors,' said Ms Jasmine Tan, 30, a cat feeder in the area. Out of the footage they received was one video showing what is believed to be Tuxy thrown from heights. The group sent this in to the National Parks Board (NParks) but two years on have not heard back if the abuser was nabbed. CNA TODAY has reached out to NParks to ask about the status of this case. While waiting for closure from this case, more instances of abuse involving community cats have surfaced. Just earlier this month, in an act described as "appalling cruelty" by Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, a community cat in Yishun called King Kong was found with severe injuries including its eyes gouged out and organs split. Within days another cat called Shere Khan was found at a car park in Punggol with severe injuries and both eye globes protruded significantly from their sockets. It had to be subsequently euthanised. While the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), which is the body under NParks which investigates such cases, said that Shere Khan's injuries were "likely" due to a vehicular accident, the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) said it stands by its statement that the "nature of his injuries points strongly to deliberate abuse" and it was 'one of the most brutal cases' it has encountered. 'Based on the information available to us, we do not believe this was a road traffic accident. We are concerned that the possibility of a non-accidental injury cannot be ruled out,' said the group's co-founder Nina Astolfi. At the same time, some community cat abuses are being dealt with by the judicial system. On Friday, a 20-year-old man pleaded guilty to performing an indecent act on a cat after being caught on a neighbour's closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera. In February, a man was sentenced to 14 months' jail for abusing five cats in Ang Mo Kio, killing two of them by throwing them off public housing blocks between 2019 and 2021. The prosecution is appealing for a higher sentence. That same month, another man was charged in court for allegedly killing a cat and abusing four others in Toa Payoh, in September and October 2024. But such instances are cold comfort for animal lovers, as the number of abusers brought before the court of law – though increased through the years – is miniscule compared to hundreds of cats that die from alleged abuse. NParks investigated an average of about 1,200 cases of alleged animal cruelty and welfare cases annually from 2017 to 2020, according to the Ministry of National Development in September 2021. From 2017 to 2021, 40 persons have been sentenced in court and fined, and 23 persons have been sentenced in court and jailed. In 2024, NParks received around 60 cases of alleged animal cruelty involving community cats specifically, it told CNA TODAY on Friday. Of these cases, evidence of animal cruelty were found for five of these cases upon investigation. "In those cases, which were substantiated with evidence, enforcement action was taken against the offender, such as issuing a warning letter or a composition fine. For cases that were egregious in nature, offenders were prosecuted in court," NParks said. This has led some volunteers to feel despondent, with some telling CNA TODAY that they no longer bother to report the death of community cats they encounter to authorities because more often than not it does not lead to the abuser being caught. 'We have been through so many cases ... Each time an exceedingly cruel case happens there is some media attention and then it proceeds to die down until the next abhorrent case happens,' said Ms Tan, Tuxy's feeder.
CBS News
20-05-2025
- CBS News
Santa Ana alleged serial cat killer charged with animal cruelty
A Santa Ana man who allegedly lured, harmed and killed neighborhood cats has been charged with animal cruelty. Alejandro Oliveros Acosta was charged with two counts of animal cruelty and a count of grand theft of a pet, all felonies. He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of methamphetamine, according to the criminal complaint. Over March and April, word spread among neighbors in Westminster and Santa Ana about a man luring cats away from their homes. Home-surveillance footage of incidents was shared on social media. After receiving multiple reports of neighborhood cat abuse and deaths over several weeks, a police investigation led to Acosta as the suspect. Detectives issued a search warrant at the home of the 45-year-old and found evidence of dozens of dead cats, police said. Acosta is also suspected of abducting a Bengal Lynx cat from its Westminster home in March, police said. The 10-month-old cat named Clubber was returned to its owner after she posted online about it. Eva Corlew said her home security cameras captured a man grabbing Clubber and carrying it into a white truck. Corlew said after she shared her story in a neighborhood chatroom, she learned that similar incidents happened to people in Santa Ana. Acosta was arrested and booked at the Santa Ana jail in late April, but posted bail and was released. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.
Free Malaysia Today
14-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Police arrest man in Johor for abusing neighbour's cat
Pictures of the abused cat shared by the owner on Facebook. PETALING JAYA : Police in Segamat, Johor, have arrested a man for abusing his neighbour's cat. Segamat police chief Zamry Marinsah said the complainant stated that she had been looking for her Turkish cat at about 11.15am yesterday when she saw her neighbour 'poking at something' in a drain. 'The complainant then saw her cat in the drain, covered in blood, believed to have been beaten by the suspect. 'CCTV footage showed the suspect beating the cat and throwing it into the compound of an unoccupied house,' he said in a statement. Zamry said the suspect, in his 70s, who was arrested at 12.20am today, admitted to beating the cat because he was 'annoyed by it'. He said the case is being investigated under Section 428 of the Penal Code for mischief by killing or maiming any animal, Section 29(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 (Act 772) for animal cruelty, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) for improper use of network facilities. The Penal Code section involved provides for three years' jail, a fine or both; the Act 772 section provides for a fine of up to RM100,000, three years' jail or both; and the CMA section provides for no more than five years' jail, a fine of up to RM5,000 or both, upon conviction.
