Singaporean fined nearly $8,000 for animal cruelty

Lim Soo Seng, fined $10,000 for not bring the dog to a veterinarian, even though it was severely emaciated. Straits Times

SINGAPORE—A Singapore court has imposed a Sg$10,000 ($7,750) fine on a local businessman who failed to take his severely emaciated dog to the vet, a ruling welcomed Friday by animal rights activists.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said the court’s decision Thursday was the first time the maximum fine was imposed on a convicted animal abuser.

Lim Soo Seng, 76, however escaped a one-year jail term.

“This is a very telling reminder to all pet owners that it is their due responsibility to fulfill the nutritional requirements of all of their pets,” said Corinne Fong, executive director of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

A photograph of the carcass released by the SPCA was shared widely on social media.

Lim was charged at a district court after he brought the carcass of the severely emaciated dog, a female cross-breed mongrel named Chilli, to the SPCA for disposal on May 17 last year, a day after it stopped eating.

A post-mortem found that the dog might have been neglected and starved for months.

The case is the latest among a series of animal abuse cases in wealthy Singapore, including the poisoning of stray dogs and attacks on cats.