SINGAPORE – At least 20 abandoned hamsters were found drenched and huddling together under a shrub in Bedok Town Park on Sunday.
Non-profit group Hamster Society (Singapore) (HSS) said in an Instagram post that it was alerted to the hamsters by a member of the public at around 4.30pm on Sunday.
Its volunteers rushed to the scene to look for the animals as it had been raining heavily earlier in the day.
In a series of Instagram stories on Sunday, HSS said the hamsters were found with no food or shelter. Ten of them are babies, measuring just 3cm long. Some of them were injured.
“When we found them, most of them were covered in dried dirt and there were dead ants stuck to their fur. Others had eye injuries and one walks with a limp,” said the HSS foster team head Sim Jia Yi.
Videos on social media show the grey hamsters soaking wet as they scampered around a planter in the park where puddles had formed. A clip shows a group of about 10 hamsters huddling together in a corner.
HSS said it heard from a passer-by that the culprit who abandoned the hamsters had dumped them over a period of two days.
The society added that it has informed the National Parks Board and police about the incident and urged residents living nearby to keep a lookout for any other hamsters in the park.
In an update on Monday evening, HSS said one more hamster was found at the park, bringing the total number of rescued hamsters to 21. The animals are in the care of volunteers while HSS looks for permanent homes for them.
It added: “Hamsters are living creatures. They feel pain, fear and hunger. They are innocent beings and don’t deserve to be thrown away like trash.
“Do not abandon your pets when you are unable to take care of them, it is a crime. Contact a reputable animal shelter, instead of leaving them out in the wild to fend for themselves.”
In March, 17 guinea pigs were abandoned without food or water in thermal food bags by the side of a road. One was found dead under the bags.
First-time offenders found guilty of pet abandonment can face a fine of up to $10,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.
Source from Straits Times
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