Apathy towards animal abuse worrying - Karen Scott

11 May 2006

THE recent letters about continuing animal abuse, particularly of cats, have highlighted the extraordinary contradictions at work in this society.

On the one hand, there are people such as the Today letter-writers, who are to be commended for taking whatever action they can to protect vulnerable animals from the horrendous actions of certain sub-human elements in the community.

My heart goes out to them, especially Tirta Andila Swari who, at a relatively young age, has had to face the heartache of witnessing unwarranted cruelty meted out to a cat she cared about.

On the other hand, there is overwhelming indifference on the part of authorities and a deafening silence from other residents ? some of whom must be aware of the actions of the abusers.

What pervert was responsible for the torture of an animal that caused it to suffer an agonising death in front of a caring young person? Why is there such a lack of concern? Is it that the welfare of a cat doesn't really register on the average Singaporean's emotional radar?

Sadly, my own observation of this society is that such callous indifference is to be expected. After all, there are vulnerable members of the human species here who seem to be treated with little respect; so what could we expect when it comes to other creatures?

Material possessions seem to matter more to some people than the welfare of others, human or otherwise.

As the owner of three much-loved cats, I have been warned on numerous occasions that I shouldn't let them go outside, as they are very pretty and might be stolen.

Others have offered a different warning; that the authorities might pick them up and destroy them, in spite of clear identification of ownership.

What message about life in Singapore should I take from that? If it looks expensive, steal it; if it doesn't, kill it?

Any society that can tolerate systematic abuse of those unable to defend themselves is far from being civilised.

The death of Spot and the horrific killing of cats in Ms Lynn Lam's area are both tragic. Of greater concern is the state of mind that finds little or no fault in such actions and is able to stand by idly while abusers indulge in their sick perversions.

There is evidence from overseas studies that habitual abuse of animals often leads to abuse of vulnerable people, such as young children.

So before shrugging off the killing of yet another cat as something of no consequence, consider what message this sends about society's values and what lessons young people will learn from the tolerance of such actions.

This commentary is contributed by a reader.