AVA looking into rabbit death
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) is investigating a case of alleged animal cruelty involving the death of a rabbit.
The three-year-old cross-breed Lionhead Lop rabbit, named Apollo, was allegedly assaulted with a wooden stick last month. It died on Monday.
In a Facebook post on Nov 23,a member of the public claimed the rabbit had been attacked by a man.
Before its death, Apollo was jointly rescued by House Rabbit Society Singapore (HRSS) and Bunny Wonderland, a private rabbit rescue group.
Bunny Wonderland took care of Apollo until its death.
The co-founder of Bunny Wonderland, Ms Lynne Tan, 33, told The New Paper that Apollo was taken to The Animal Doctors, a veterinary clinic, by HRSS the day after it was rescued.
SEMI-PARALYSED
She said: "The X-ray showed a broken lower spine, and he also had old and new rib fractures and was paralysed from the waist down. He had lost control of his bowel and urinary system."
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' executive director, Dr Jaipal Singh Gill, told The New Paper it was also alerted to the incident and it referred the case to AVA.
"We have taken a statement from the rabbit's owner, coupled with the evidence gathered, and passed it to AVA for follow-up," he said.
Last year, there were 604 instances of animal cruelty, of which 61 cases involved rabbits.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now