Review of Penalty Framework for Animal Cruelty and Abuse Offences

Mr David Hoe asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the status of the review of the Animals and Birds Act (ABA); (b) what are the review milestones since 2023 and target date of amendments to the ABA; (c) whether higher custodial maxima, mandatory ownership bans and stronger investigation powers are in scope; and (d) whether interim deterrent measures have been taken pending amendments.

Dr Charlene Chen asked the Minister for National Development (a) what measures are being taken to address the recent rise in cat abuse cases; (b) whether the Ministry will consider introducing provisions to prevent the posting of animal abuse content online; and (c) whether there have been cases of escalation from animal abuse to violence against humans; and (d) if so, what inter-agency efforts exist to prevent this.

Mr Alex Yeo asked the Minister for National Development whether an update can be provided on the review of the penalty framework for animal cruelty and abuse offences under the Animals and Birds Act 1965.

The Animals and Birds Act 1965 (ABA) safeguards against animal cruelty and abuse. Under the current ABA, the maximum penalty for a cruelty offence is higher than that for a welfare offence. Repeat offenders are also liable for enhanced punishment. Where acts of cruelty are particularly aggravated, the prosecution will highlight this to the Courts to take into account for sentencing.

The National Parks Board (NParks) has started a comprehensive review to ensure the ABA remains effective in deterring acts of animal cruelty and abuse. This includes reviewing the penalty framework, such as imprisonment terms, fines and disqualification orders for animal welfare offences, and enforcement powers for better animal welfare and management.

The review currently does not include proposals to prevent the posting of animal abuse content online or increase collaboration on enforcement with animal welfare groups. To reduce disamenities caused by irresponsible pet ownership, NParks has launched initiatives, such as cat licensing under the Cat Management Framework and the Pet Ownership Course.

We will continue to take a collaborative approach in this review. For instance, Minister of State Alvin Tan had engaged the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in July on their White Paper on Strengthening Protections for Animal Welfare. We agreed that while some recommendations will be challenging to implement due to the tradeoffs, we could adopt some recommendations as part of the ABA review and further evaluate others with partners. NParks will continue to engage stakeholders, such as animal welfare groups, pet business owners and vets to ensure that all views are considered. NParks aims to start public consultation on the draft Bill by around end-2026.

NParks will continue to investigate feedback on animal welfare and cruelty thoroughly. For instance, in the recent cases involving community cats in Yishun and Punggol, NParks interviewed key witnesses, reviewed closed-circuit television footage, and carried out post-mortem examination for the Yishun community cat, and found that the cases were likely the result of vehicular accidents.

NParks will take firm enforcement action, considering factors such as severity of the offence and whether one is a repeat offender. In line with its enforcement efforts, NParks also works with animal welfare group partners to increase education and outreach efforts to raise awareness of responsible pet ownership and the consequences of animal cruelty.