Beware the vicious cycle of inaction - Dr Michelle Lee, President, Cat Welfare Society

Public must come forward with evidence of animal abuse and police must show commitment to investigate

16 May 2006

I refer to Ms Lynn Lam's letter ("Cat killings still a problem", May 9). The Cat Welfare Society applauds Ms Lam's effort in bringing the ongoing cat killings at the Old Airport Road area to the public's attention and for her continuing efforts in patrolling the area.

In cases of animal abuse such as this, however, it takes more than the civic-mindedness of a few individuals to tackle the problem. The community at large must demonstrate a willingness to step up to the plate in reporting cases of abuse and provide credible witness accounts.

Unfortunately, from our experience in dealing with such cases, people are often reluctant to do so because of the belief that any effort on their part will come to nought, as there is a lack of will on the part of the authorities in pursuing such matters.

The recent conviction of David Hooi is a refutation of that notion, but for the most part, response to cases of animal abuse remains wanting. Therefore, we are of the opinion that to really drive home the message that animal abuse will not be tolerated, the police has to demonstrate a commitment to investigate these cases.

This will provide the impetus that is needed for the community to play its part in reporting them.

In the absence of this, there breeds a vicious cycle where the police takes no action due to lack of credible information from the community, and the community is not forthcoming with information due to lack of evidence for the police act on.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind the public that an animal abuse conviction carries a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a jail term of up to one year. Often, what the perpetrators really need is proper counselling. Rehabilitation is seldom accomplished solely by a harsh sentence.

We hope that the judicial system will, in time, consider this avenue.

Finally, we would like to urge the public to report cases of suspected abuse and to be conscientious in noting details of any incidents, such as their exact time and location, and to take pictures if possible.

The Cat Welfare Society will be happy to provide any assistance needed and can be reached at info@catwelfare.org.