Stray dog forced into crate with poles at Seletar Farmway, AVS cites 'public safety' after bite incidents
A video showing a brown stray dog being forcibly pushed into a crate with poles at Seletar Farmway has gone viral, sparking outrage from animal lovers who say the dogs were handled too harshly.
The clips, posted by Instagram user @germtay on Nov 14, showed what she described as a dog-catching operation at a nursery in Seletar West Farmway.
One of her first posts showed a lorry labelled "wildlife management, wildlife consultancy and bird management", with the caption: "AVS sent 4 lorries to catch all the dogs here when it was not proved who bit the stranger who reported."
She added: "They also refuse to say how will the dogs be treated and where they will go."
Dog pushed into crate with poles
Another video she filmed showed a brown dog resisting capture as two men used poles to push it hard into a crate. The dog appeared to bite one of the poles. One of the men forced its head down so it could not lift itself out of the crate.
"The dogs were so scared," germtay wrote, showing stains on the floor.
She also said: "This old dog was already injured and now he can't stand up after the shock," adding that she spotted blood nearby.
In another story, she lamented: "I'm sorry, I should have hidden you. This crate is not even big enough for you."
She said one of the dogs was about 10 years old and walked with a limp, tagging NParks and AVS to "please let us know if they are safe and what will you do with them".
Her stories were later reposted by Wake Up Singapore, immediately drawing fierce reactions online. Many netizens called the scenes "heartbreaking" and questioned the training of the men involved.
AVS: Dogs were captured after four bite incidents
In response to queries from Stomp, Dr Anna Wong, Group Director of Community Animal Management at Animal & Veterinary Service in National Parks Board, confirmed that the men seen were an animal management contractor engaged to trap and remove free-roaming dogs "for public safety reasons".
Dr Wong said four dog-bite incidents had been reported in the Seletar West Farmway 8 from May to November 2025, with injuries ranging from scratches to puncture wounds requiring medical attention.
She said AVS had engaged the farm where the bites occurred, which later clarified that the dogs were not owned by the farm and requested AVS to remove them.
The trapping operation took place on Nov 14, under supervision by AVS staff.
"Due to the earlier bite incidents and high risk to public safety, the contractor used restraining poles to secure the dogs during the operations," she said.
She added that this complied with international standards such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) guidelines on stray dog population control, adding that "no uncovered wire loops or potentially harmful devices" were used.
AVS said the amount of force used was "within acceptable parameters, considering the dogs' history of aggression".
"Trapping was achieved with reasonable force to safely secure the dogs and all equipment deployed supports humane handling practices," said Dr Wong.
Three dogs have since been taken into AVS' care and will be assessed for suitability for rehoming under the Trap-Neuter-Rehome/Release-Manage (TNRM) programme.
'Bloodshed is not necessary'
Raine Toh, 20, who has visited the nursery several times, told Stomp she had interacted with the free-roaming dogs before.
She said the dogs "will shy away from unfamiliar humans", though she had been able to pet some of them.
"There are many other ways to trap a dog. Bloodshed is not necessary," she said.
She also questioned whether AVS could be certain these were the same dogs involved in the bite incidents.
"Did NParks communicate with the caregivers who would know better about each dog's behaviour and characteristics before capturing them?"
She added: "How is a senior dog with a limp going around to bite people if not provoked first?"
The dogs were typically found near the nursery area, she said.
"If the dogs did pose a threat to humans, wouldn't the caregivers be even more concerned in the first place as their business would be affected?"
Additional reporting by Nicholas Yong
