An animal welfare group in Singapore has called on the authorities to look into the suspected mistreatment and killing of dogs in Woodlands.

The call for the authorities to step in came a few hours after Chinese media published a report on the allegations of dogs being abused and even killed in the northern region of Singapore.

Incident not recent

The non-profit organisation, Exclusively Mongrels Limited, put up a Facebook post on Monday night, Dec. 28, urging action to be taken now that the news has highlighted the issue.

Feeders first discovered something amiss in end-2019.

The welfare group shared that it had been conducting Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage (TNRM) activities at the site at Attap Valley Road before the pandemic.

Bags of what were believed to have been decomposing carcasses of dogs hanging on tree branches were found in the forested areas, and an email was later sent to the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) in March 2020.

Dogs started to disappear, one man suspected

The group wrote:

“As early as end of 2019, we were informed by the feeders we work with on several occasions, of suspicious activities linked to a man who frequented that area. There had been several cases of missing dogs, and the incidence of injured dogs had also increased significantly.”

Some feeders then ventured into the forested area where the man was seen entering.

That was when bags that appeared to contain decomposing carcasses were discovered hanging on tree branches.

The email to AVS, dated March 7, and signed off by Gan Theng Wei, director of Exclusively Mongrels Limited, was shared as a screen shot on Facebook.

The email to AVS said the welfare group had sought to find out what had happened and took to investigating the issue on their own.

Gan wrote: “A camera was even installed by one of the feeders, but was discovered by the man. I have to stress that there is no way to tell that the carcasses were that of dogs without further tests. While the recent disappearance of dogs may be due to migration, we cannot exclude the possibility of foul play.”

Exclusively Mongrels said it did not receive an official reply to the email.

Authorities outght to investigate

But it added that an AVS representative had “informed us that they were aware of the suspicious events that had taken place, and the authority would be investigating”.

This message was apparently relayed during a meeting at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Exclusively Mongrels Limited also said: “We sincerely hope that the authorities will do their best in their investigation, to uphold the welfare of the Singapore Specials."

"And of course, we look forward to the findings of their investigation if they would be willing to share.”

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Top photos via Google Maps & Shin Min Daily News