The Issue of Animal Abuse in Modern World

Today I will be talking about animal abuse. I chose this topic because I feel it’s something that many people condemn but insufficient is done about it. There are people who appear on the news because they have been reported to be animal abusers and the public condemns them but that’s it. If we want to prevent or rather minimise this problem, we must understand why this is such an important issue. First off animals are also living creatures who feel pain physically and emotionally, take for example pets who have been neglected by their owners or hit by them, how do they feel? Like any living being we longed to be loved so just as we would treat other humans with love and care. Animals deserve it too so more must be done to help them. Instead of just pointing it out, we should do something about it.

So, what defines animal abuse? Animal abuse is the act of violence towards animals. This includes torturing, confining them and failure to provide welfare for them. An example is failure to provide proper food, water, living space and health of an animal. Animal abuse ranges from neglection to malicious killing. In Singapore, the number of cases of animal cruelty has risen from 410 in 2011 to 840 in 2015. From 2015 to 2018, the cases went up from 840 to 2,490.

These are some of the cases that has happened in Singapore. At the top right-hand corner, there is a picture showing a dog’s snout and legs were taped by its owner. The owner confessed to the police that he did that to stop his dog from barking and destroying objects in his house. The dog was taped for a very long period, resulting in severe abrasions and sores on his legs. The owner got away with a light sentence.

At the bottom left hand corner, a male student was caught swinging a dog by its collar. He confessed that he did it because the dog refused to get along with him. He had to do it to get his dog’s attention. He was a volunteer for dog stay services.

Recently, a seafood restaurant received backlash from the public when they launched a live crab claw machine outside their restaurant. The management said that their intention was to only educate children how to differentiate male and female crabs and to keep them entertained during their visit. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) however, believed that it will only encourage the public to see animals as nothing more than objects to play with. The machine will cause unnecessary harm to them when dropped from a height by the claw machine. The machine was launched without the final approval by the owner and management of the restaurant.

To help reduce cases like this, the government has implemented laws on animal abuse. Organizations such as SPCA and Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) are established to promote kindness towards animals and educate the public on animal cruelty. They also ensure the health and welfare of animals.

In August this year, there was a case in china where a man posted 2 videos of him pouring boiling water and hitting his dogs with a wooden rod. In the first video, he had his dog in a tiny cage before he poured the boiling water on it. He did not care for his dog’s well-being. The dog ran around in the small cage while yapping in pain, hoping to escape. He took a picture of his scalded dog and used that photo as his profile picture in his social media accounts. After receiving criticism from the pubic, he removed the 2 videos and deleted his accounts.

In the second video, he went towards his dog and hit its paws with a large wooden rod. The dog yelped in pain. According to some viewers, the dog looked weak despite the abuse. It did not fight back. Some speculated that he had abused the dog before, which explains why that dog looked lethargic, stopped wailing halfway before it laid back down on the floor.

He showed no remorse for his 2 dogs. Despite his videos and account went viral, he was not caught as China have no laws on preventing the abuse, suffering and mistreatment of companion domesticated animals.

If everyone treats animals with respect and affectionate, there will be fewer cases on animal abuse. We live in a world that not only turns a blind eye towards animal abuse but also disregards it. There are not enough people fighting for animal rights. Therefore, we should start taking actions. If you witness an animal abuse, do report it to SPCA. Try to stop one from mistreating the animal when you witness the abuse. You can offer help to an owner if you think that he may not be able to provide welfare for his pet. Do help to spread awareness on this issue to your friends and family.

Animal abuse is an on-going issue in this world. There is no way to stop it. However, when each of us play our part in raising this issue, it will save the lives of many animals. When more people join hands in this fight against animal abuse, abusers will be exposed and punished. I hope that you have gained something from this sharing.