Civet found abandoned in cage at Bedok flat so severely wounded that it had to be euthanized

An injured common palm civet was found abandoned at a HDB flat in Bedok this past Sunday, June 16 — and a health assessment conducted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore found that the injuries it sustained were so severe that the nocturnal animal was euthanized.

Animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) wrote in a Facebook post yesterday June 18 to announce that it is currently working with the National Parks Board (Nparks) to investigate this incident as a potential case of extreme animal cruelty. In the post, ACRES attached a photo of the injured civet. Open wounds can be seen on its tail and right shoulder.

“Unfortunately, the poor civet had gone through so much, suffered severe injuries and was euthanized for welfare reasons after assessment at the Wildlife Reserves Singapore,” wrote ACRES.

Speaking to Coconuts Singapore about the incident, Deputy Chief Executive of ACRES Anbarasi Boopal said: “We don’t know for sure if the civet was a pet that was abused, but the civet was found in a cage with food, so we believe that someone either found it wounded and kept it in a cage, or the civet was wounded under his/her care. We are still waiting for a report to determine if it was abused.”

According to Boopal, “It’s the first time ACRES rescued a civet that is so badly injured and malnourished.” 

The group also called for those with information on the incident to contact them at acrescrime@gmail.com or its hotline at 9783 7782.

“We will be very grateful for the information, to bring justice for this civet and prevent infliction of such cruelty in the future,” added ACRES in its original Facebook post.

The animal that was put down is the second civet rescued by the organization. In late 2017, they had a sting operation in which a 22-year-old woman was found to have illegally kept and sold a civet.

It is illegal in Singapore to keep civets as pets. Under the Wild Animals and Birds Act, any person found guilty of killing or keeping a wild animal without a permit can be fined up to $1,000.