The Emotional and Financial Struggles Faced by Animal Welfare Volunteers Amid the Country’s Rising Abandonment Crisis
Jiawen’s voice quivers with emotion as she tenderly strokes Bruce’s head, whispering, “I’ll be your friend again in the next life.” The somber atmosphere in Rainbow Paradise’s cremation room is thick with grief. Bruce, a once-scarred tuxedo cat, has passed away, a casualty of Singapore’s overcrowded and struggling animal shelters.
For Jiawen, Bruce’s death signifies much more than just another lost animal. She had spent months gaining his trust, a moment of connection that she will never forget. Yet, his passing is one of countless others in a broken system where the number of abandoned animals continues to exceed the number of those adopted.
Shelters across the country are overwhelmed, with many animals living their lives confined in cages, deprived of the love and care they deserve. This crisis is part of a larger issue: the rising indifference towards animal welfare in a fast-paced, urbanising Singapore.
In 2023, the country saw a shocking rise in pet abandonment cases, with numbers tripling compared to the previous year, and animal cruelty reaching an alarming 11-year high. Headlines revealed the cruelty these animals endure—stories of neglect, abuse, and abandonment, showcasing the darker side of a nation that prides itself on progress.
The Hidden Cost of Urbanisation As Singapore has expanded its urban footprint, the natural world has been pushed aside. Areas once rich with wildlife are now cleared to make room for development. Animals, such as otters and macaques, now find themselves encroaching into urban spaces, yet instead of coexisting with humans, they face exclusionary measures like culling and relocation, which fail to address the underlying issue.
The pandemic exacerbated the crisis. As pet ownership surged during lockdowns, many animals were discarded when life returned to normal. This disposable attitude, paired with an already overwhelmed shelter system, has left volunteers like Jiawen struggling to cope with an ever-growing number of abandoned animals.
The Burden on Volunteers Jiawen compares her work at the shelter to “filling a bottomless bucket.” Volunteers are tirelessly cleaning, feeding, and tending to the medical needs of animals, but with every new abandoned pet, the workload becomes unbearable. With fewer than ten active volunteers managing over 150 animals, the imbalance is crushing. “Sometimes, it’s just two of us doing everything,” Jiawen shares, emphasising the unsustainable pressure on their resources.
The shelters are often located in remote areas, making it even harder to recruit and retain volunteers. Financial challenges also loom large. Michele, a dedicated volunteer who has spent nearly a decade caring for stray cats, has plunged into debt, spending thousands of dollars monthly on food, medical care, and transportation. Despite being offered financial help, she refuses to accept donations, feeling that she would be burdening others.
The Emotional and Psychological Toll The emotional burden of this work is immense. Michele’s daily routine includes feeding stray cats before dawn, a commitment that has taken over her life and forced her to forgo a regular job and family time. Yet, it is the emotional weight that proves most overwhelming. Michele struggles with sleepless nights and anger at the cruelty she witnesses. “I want to hurt the abusers, but I can’t,” she confesses, the pain of helplessness evident in her voice.
As the number of stray animals grows, volunteers face escalating challenges. The physical exhaustion, emotional turmoil, and financial strain are pushing many to their limits, but they persist, driven by an unwavering sense of responsibility to these animals.
A Call for Compassionate Change It is time for Singapore’s approach to animal welfare to shift. Animals should not be treated as disposable or as obstacles to progress; they are living beings deserving of respect and compassion. Volunteers like Jiawen and Michele are doing everything they can, but the burden cannot rest solely on their shoulders.
As Singapore continues to develop, it must evolve in its treatment of vulnerable creatures. A truly great society is one that extends kindness to all its inhabitants, human and non-human. If Singapore can lead the world in innovation, it can also lead in humanity and compassion.
This is a call for change: to recognise that the value of a society is measured not by how it treats its strongest members but by how it cares for its most vulnerable.
