SINGAPORE — The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it is investigating a case of a stray dog that was badly injured from being caught in a steel trap, after Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD), which found the dog, reported the incident in a Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 18).

In its Facebook post, the ASD said the trap is a “common type used by professional trappers to catch dogs in a forest terrain” and said it would contact the authorities and urge them to look into putting a stop to such “inhumane methods of trapping”.

In response to media queries, an AVA spokesperson said on Sunday (Feb 21) the AVA has not engaged external contractors to trap stray dogs at the Lim Chu Kang area recently. “AVA is investigating the case with the assistance of ASD,” she added.

According to ASD, the dog had been first sighted near its Adoption and Rescue Centre at Lim Chu Kang on Feb 7. For five days, independent rescuers and volunteers searched the area and finally found the dog on Feb 12.

When they found the dog — which smelt of rotting flesh — it had a steel wire wrapped around its torso which had cut into its flesh. “Any longer, the steel wire could have easily severed her spine, paralysing her (the dog) and most likely, lead to a horribly slow and painful death,” said the ASD.

On Sunday, ASD president Ricky Yeo said the dog was in stable condition and is recuperating in a veterinary clinic. “There’s always the risk of infection because the wounds are very deep,” said the 48-year-old. “Fortunately (there were) no major injuries…the ribs were injured but (the trap) didn’t pierce any of the vital organs.”

The vet will monitor the dog for any signs of infection and recovery rate, he added. “If all is stable then of course we will take the dog out to a foster home or to our centre,” said Mr Yeo.

When there are dog sightings and people are “not happy” about them, the “protocol” is to call the AVA first, Mr Yeo said. But dog trapping services can also be engaged by private companies looking to cull strays from their properties. “(Trappers) are like sub-contractors... they are also for hire,” he said.