No evidence man seen in Woodlands forested area had harmed any animals: AVS
SINGAPORE — The Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) has responded to media reports about a man who was spotted in a forested area in Woodlands amid allegations of missing and injured dogs by an animal welfare group.
In a post on its Facebook page on Monday (28 December), Exclusively Mongrels said that as early as end-2019, it was informed by feeders it worked with that a man was involved in suspicious activities in the area.
Exclusively Mongrels said it alerted authorities to the discovery of what appeared to be bags of animal carcasses hanging on tree branches in the area as early as March.
In response to a query by Yahoo News Singapore, Jessica Kwok, Group Director of Community Animal Management at AVS, said on Wednesday that the AVS received feedback in early March about the bags and conducted an on-site investigation the following day.
AVS officers intercepted a man who was observed to be bringing packets of food into the forested area and emerging about 3.5 hours later. The AVS also searched his vehicle.
Kwok said there was no evidence to suggest that the man had harmed any animals. “Based on what we gathered, he is a feeder and had placed the remains of puppies and dogs that had died several years ago in plastic bags as he did not have the heart to bury or cremate the dead animals. This was corroborated by our investigations on site where we found skeletal remains in the bags.”
There were no fresh carcasses and no signs that suggested any animals were harmed in the area, Kwok said. “We have also confirmed that there was no recent incident of missing or injured dogs,” she added.
Kwok said the media reports were based on an eyewitness account in February and that the AVS has spoken to the individual and is in contact with feeders in the area.
AVS reiterated that it takes all feedback received from the public on animal cruelty seriously, and will look into the cases reported. Members of the public can alert AVS of any suspected cases via the online feedback form on its website at www.avs.gov.sg/feedback or call at 1800-476-1600.
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