Singaporeans conspired to abandon 16 cats on the street

NEWS AND VIEWS: Nur Hajjar Osman, a 35-year-old woman, was no longer able to care for her 16 cats. She decided to get rid of them by simply abandoning them on the street. She conspired to do this with what appears to be a friend whose name is Muhammad Haidhar Zulkifli, aged 33.

 Singaporeans conspired to abandon 16 cats on the street. One of the captured cats.
Photo: Sayang Our Singapore's Community Cats/Facebook

On 28 February 2019 Nur Hajjar Osman asked Muhammad Haidhar Zulkifli to get rid of the cats. On 1 March 2019 he arrived at her flat in Punggol and they brought the 16 cats down in five cages. They loaded them onto a lorry which he had borrowed. They drove around and decided to release the cats in the vicinity of 222A Sumang Lane at around 3 AM.

Members of the public noticed what was going on and apparently reported it. The cats were found and rescued. They were successfully prosecuted and Nur Hajjar Osman was fined $4000 on 10th March. Muhammad Haidhar Zulkifli was also fined $4000. They were told by the judge that they had shown a "totally unacceptable disregard" of their duty towards the animals. They were reminded that "pets are for life".

Muhammad Haidhar Zulkifli couldn't or wouldn't pay the fine and decided to take his punishment in jail. He was sentenced to a 10 day jail term. Although the maximum sentence for abandoning a companion animal in Singapore is up to a year in jail and a fine of USD10,000 or both on a first offence.

Source: Yahoo News Singapore.