SINGAPORE — A former employee at a fish farm was fined S$4,000 on Wednesday (June 3), after pleading guilty to leaving his male English bulldog at the farm for over a month when it closed down.

The dog’s health deteriorated so badly that a veterinarian gave it a body condition score of one out of nine — one step up from death.

Chan Kean Yap, a Singapore permanent resident from Malaysia, pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to take reasonable steps to ensure his pet was given adequate and suitable food and water.

The 30-year-old man was also banned from owning other animals for one year.

Another charge of keeping the dog without a licence at fish farm Dreamfish Incorporated Singapore, formerly located along Neo Tiew Crescent in Kranji, was taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that Chan adopted the brown-and-white pooch in 2017 and kept it at the farm. He stopped working there in May last year after the farm’s lease expired.

On July 17 last year, an employee from the National Parks Board (NParks) conducted an inspection at the farm. He heard the sound of an animal whining from a room and found the malnourished dog in a cage there.

The floor of the room was littered with dog faeces and urine. 

The NParks employee contacted Chan and told him that the dog’s condition was bad and required immediate attention, before reporting the matter to the animal welfare section of NParks’ Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) for further investigations.

When an investigating officer visited the site six days later, Chan surrendered the dog to NParks. A vet from NParks examined it and concluded that it was in a very appalling condition.

The dog had no discernible body fat and had visibly lost most of its muscle mass, the court heard. This was likely a result of severe inadequate feeding or an underlying chronic illness.

The dog would have died if it was left untreated at the farm, the prosecution said. It has since been rehomed and has recovered from its ordeal.

Prosecutors from NParks sought the fine imposed, saying that a “steep penalty” was warranted “to send a clear message to like-minded offenders”.

Chan, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded for leniency during mitigation. He said that he has not been able to find a stable job after leaving the farm and has four young children to raise.

“During this (Covid-19) period, my wife’s job is also affected. It’s quite hard for me. Sorry for my wrongdoings,” he added.

For his charge under the Animals and Birds Act, he could have been jailed up to a year, fined up to S$10,000, or both.