SINGAPORE - The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) is appealing for information after a video showing a group of men allegedly beating and subsequently killing a snake in Boon Lay was shared on social media.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Acres said it received the video from a member of the public the night before. It showed a group using crates to allegedly hit a reticulated python at Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village.
The python, which appeared to be over two metres long, is then taken next to a food stall, while another man uses a cleaver and repeatedly hacks it to death.
Throughout the entire video, the sound of cheers and laughter from bystanders can be heard, with one of the embedded captions asking viewers to watch till the end.
Acres said it has submitted all the relevant information to the National Parks Board (NParks), who is investigating the incident further, and The Straits Times has contacted the authority for more information.
Meanwhile, Acres co-chief executive Anbarasi Boopal told ST that the violence seen in the video was “very disturbing”.
“It’s not like the men were trying to defend themselves from the python. Instead, they were cornering it and beating it.
“The sad reality is that we often see this happening to reptiles, because they’re perceived to be scarier, and I think there needs to be greater deterrence to prevent such things from reoccurring,” she said.
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She added that she had visited the market on Wednesday morning to interview stallholders and cleaners in the hopes of ascertaining the recency of the video, as well as the identities of the men.
Although many had heard about the incident taking place in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, none of them had seen it. Her search for the men’s identities also did not yield anything concrete.
In its appeal, Acres urged witnesses or those who recognised the people seen in the video to reach out either through its 24-hour hotline at 97387782, or its e-mail address at acrescrime@gmail.com
In a written parliamentary reply from Sept 2021, National Development Minister Desmond Lee had said that authorities investigated about 1,2000 cases of alleged animal cruelty and abuse each year between 2017 and 2020.
During that period, 23 offenders were jailed, while another 40 were charged in court and fined.
Compound fines were issued to 113 of them, and 87 received warning letters.
Those who are found to have committed an act of animal cruelty can be fined up to $15,000, jailed up to 18 months, or both if they are first-time offenders.
Repeat offenders on the other hand face a maximum fine of $30,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both.
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
