There has recently been a rise in the numbers of animal cruelty cases in Singapore. Especially shocking are the recent cases of Ryan Tan Yi Bin and Barrie Lin Pengli, who wantonly tortured and killed helpless community cats. They are not the first, nor will they be the last.

Animal rights lovers have long called for penalties for animal abuse to be toughened, but yet the penalty remains at 18 months' jail/$15000 fine for first offenders and 3 years/$30000 for repeat offenders, regardless of how horrific the crime was.

I believe that the laws should be changed to include caning as a sentencing option for the most egregious cases of animal abuse, where cruelty resulting in the unnecessary suffering and death of the animal would warrant a mandatory caning sentence or at least caning as an option that judges can sentence offenders who deserve it. It is already lenient considering that they took innocent lives. 

It is plainly ridiculous that the law allows for caning for vandalism of inanimate objects, or for non-violent crimes such as illegal overstaying, but not for crimes where extreme pain and death were inflicted on animals unable to defend themselves. We need to be their voice for change. Otherwise this will only continue.

PLEASE SIGN TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR LAWMAKERS TO INTRODUCE CANING AS A SENTENCING OPTION FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY. 

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated. I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.”

– Attributed to Gandhi

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/man-charged-after-he-allegedly-flung-cat-from-38th-floor-of-block-killing-it

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/one-of-the-worst-cases-of-animal-cruelty-man-killed-2-cats-by-throwing-them-off-hdb-block

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/animal-cruelty-and-welfare-cases-surge-79-in-2023-highest-in-11-years-spca