(Natural News) The number of pet abandonment cases all over the world is soaring as inflation drives up the cost of keeping these beloved animals around and people who got pets during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown period are now resorting to abandoning them as they return to their offices.
In Singapore, animal welfare groups said these new developments have emerged as major reasons why people abandon pets like cats and dogs. (Related: Florida citizens who abandoned their pets could face FELONY charges.)
Last year, the Singaporean government-run Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) noted that it looked into 310 cases of pets being abandoned. This was up by nearly 38 percent from the 225 cases of pet abandonment in 2021. Furthermore, there were 251 and 230 pet abandonment cases in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Aarthi Sankar, executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a private animal charity, said that some pet abandonment cases can be difficult to identify. The group regularly receives 50 to 60 cases of animals that were not microchipped or registered being abandoned each year.
“As there are currently no regulations requiring cats to be registered, it is even harder to identify whether a cat has been abandoned,” said Sankar. “Often, our officers cannot clearly ascertain if a rescue animal is from the community or an abandoned pet. It is thus likely that abandonment rates are higher than reported.”
Jessica Kwok, group director of the AVS, warned that people who abandon their pets can be charged under the Animal and Birds Act. First-time offenders who fail in “the duty of care” to their pets can be fined a maximum of SG$10,000 ($7,472), be jailed for up to 12 months, or both.
no worries the way things are going with the bozo in the white house people will soon be eating all these so called pets!