All 7 baby rabbits rescued in Seletar die; VFA to re-home adult animals retrieved, plus one newborn

VFA plans to eventually re-home the remaining 17 rabbits, which remains under the group’s care for now.

PHOTO: JESSICA KWOK, VFA_ORG_SG/INSTAGRAM

Published Sep 26, 2026, 05:50 PM

Updated Sep 26, 2026, 05:50 PM

All seven baby rabbits rescued in Seletar died despite care, while 16 adult rabbits remain stable and one newborn kit is being closely monitored.

The rabbits were found abandoned with health issues like skin conditions and wounds; the vulnerable kits were wet, cold and in critical condition.

Voices For Animals plans to re-home the 17 remaining rabbits with welfare groups, stressing the importance of responsible pet ownership and ongoing investigations into the abandonment.

SINGAPORE – All seven kits among the 23 rabbits rescued in Seletar have died , said animal welfare group Voices For Animals (VFA) on Sept 25 .

Despite the group’s efforts to provide warmth, care and medical attention since the Sept 18 rescue , the condition of the kits, or baby rabbits, gradually deteriorated, said VFA president Derrick Tan in response to queries.

“Sadly, we began losing the kits one by one, with ... one (or) two passing away each day,” he said.

The condition of the 16 adult rabbits recovered from the site is generally stable, Tan said.

One of the adult female rabbits gave birth to three kits during a veterinary examination, Tan said, although he added that two of the newborns were delivered without a heartbeat.

“The veterinarians immediately tried their best to resuscitate them, but despite their efforts, we were unable to revive the two kits,” he said. The last newborn kit remains alive as at Sept 26, and is being closely monitored.

Kits were found ‘extremely vulnerable’

Tan said he was first alerted to the case of alleged abandonment at about 11.45pm on Sept 18 , after a friend contacted him saying a “large number” of rabbits were seen hopping around Seletar Farmway 1.

“I had no idea at that point how many rabbits were actually involved or the condition they were in,” he said. “I simply knew that there were reports of numerous rabbits roaming around the area and that immediate assistance was needed.”

He arrived that night to conduct a sweep with his VFA team. His friend was already on-scene and had managed to recover a few of the rabbits, though several others remained hiding inside the boxes he suspects were used to dump them.

In the boxes, the team found seven kits and three adult female adults , and carefully retrieved them all .

The rabbits were found to have health issues, including overgrown nails and skin conditions, according to a medical assessment conducted by the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) and vets from The Animal Doctors (TAD) on Sept 21.

Some of them also had wounds, said NParks’ group director for enforcement and investigation Jessica Kwok in a media reply on Sept 22.

The adult rabbits recovered were provided with the necessary oral and topical medications, with care instructions issued by AVS and TAD, Tan said. The kits, however, were found wet and cold, and in “much more critical condition”.

“These losses have been extremely difficult for everyone involved. While we were able to recover the rabbits from the site, the condition in which the young kits were found meant that some were already extremely vulnerable by the time they came into our care,” Tan said.

VFA plans to eventually re-home the remaining 17 rabbits, which remain under the group’s care for now.

VFA declined to share where the animals are currently being housed at, but said the animals may be handed over to other organisations as early as Sept 27.

“At this point, the rabbits remain part of the case exhibits for the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding their abandonment,” Tan said.

VFA will work closely with teams from rabbit welfare groups Bunny Wonderland and House Rabbit Society Singapore for the eventual re-homing process.

“Our priority is not simply to find them homes quickly, but to find the right homes – families who understand the commitment involved in caring for rabbits and who will be prepared to care for them for the rest of their lives,” Tan said.

“Abandonment is not a solution,” Tan said, adding that people considering keeping small animals as pets should think carefully before making that commitment.

Kwok said that NParks takes all cases of alleged animal abandonment seriously. She added that the board will take appropriate enforcement action against owners who abandon their pets, fail to provide adequate care for them, or have committed an act of animal cruelty.

“These rabbits had no choice in what happened to them. The least we can do now is give them the protection, care and second chance they deserve,” Tan said.

Calista Wong is a journalist covering breaking news and current affairs at The Straits Times. She has a special interest in lifestyle and environment-related news.

National Parks Board

VFA计划最终为剩下的17只兔子重新寻找新家，目前这些兔子仍由该组织照顾。

照片：JESSICA KWOK，VFA_ORG_SG/INSTAGRAM

发布于2026年9月26日下午5:50

更新于2026年9月26日下午5:50

尽管得到了精心照料，在实里达获救的七只小兔子全部死亡，16只成年兔子情况稳定，一只新生幼兔正在接受密切观察。

这些兔子被发现时已被遗弃，它们患有皮肤病和伤口等健康问题；脆弱的幼兔又湿又冷，情况危急。

动物之声计划将剩余的 17 只兔子重新安置到动物福利组织，并强调负责任的宠物饲养的重要性，以及对遗弃事件的持续调查。

新加坡——动物福利组织“动物之声”（Voices For Animals，简称VFA）于9月25日表示，在实里达获救的23只兔子中，有7只幼兔全部死亡。

VFA主席德里克·谭在回答询问时表示，尽管该组织自9月18日救援以来一直努力提供温暖、关爱和医疗救助，但这些幼兔的状况还是逐渐恶化。

“令人遗憾的是，我们开始一个接一个地失去这些工具包，每天都有一两个死亡，”他说。

谭先生表示，从现场救出的16只成年兔子的状况总体稳定。

谭先生说，在兽医检查期间，一只成年雌兔产下了三只幼兔，但他补充说，其中两只新生幼兔出生时没有心跳。

他说：“兽医们立即尽全力抢救它们，但尽管如此，我们还是没能救活这两只幼崽。”截至9月26日，最后一只新生幼崽仍然存活，目前正在接受密切观察。

工具包被发现“极其脆弱”

Tan表示，他于9月18日晚上11点45分左右首次得知这起疑似遗弃兔子的案件，当时一位朋友联系他说，看到“大量”兔子在Seletar Farmway 1附近蹦蹦跳跳。

“当时我完全不知道究竟有多少只兔子出没，也不知道它们的状况如何，”他说。“我只知道有报告称该地区有很多兔子出没，需要立即提供援助。”

当晚，他带着VFA小组抵达现场进行搜查。他的朋友已经到达现场，并设法找回了一些兔子，但还有几只兔子藏在他怀疑用来丢弃它们的箱子里。

在箱子里，团队发现了七只幼崽和三只成年雌性，并小心翼翼地将它们全部取了出来。

根据动物和兽医服务处 (AVS) 和动物医生 (TAD) 的兽医于 9 月 21 日进行的医学评估，这些兔子被发现有健康问题，包括指甲过长和皮肤病。

国家公园局执法与调查组组长郭慧玲在9月22日回复媒体时表示，其中一些人身上还有伤口。

谭先生表示，获救的成年兔已接受了必要的口服和外用药物治疗，并获得了AVS和TAD提供的护理指导。然而，幼兔被发现时又湿又冷，情况“危急得多”。

“这些损失对所有相关人员来说都非常艰难。虽然我们能够从现场找回兔子，但幼兔被发现时的状况意味着，当它们被送到我们这里时，有些已经非常虚弱了，”谭说道。

VFA计划最终为剩余的17只兔子重新寻找新家，这些兔子目前仍由该组织照顾。

VFA拒绝透露这些动物目前的安置地点，但表示最早可能在9月27日将这些动物移交给其他组织。

“目前，这些兔子仍是案件证据的一部分，将作为调查其被遗弃情况的证据，”谭说道。

VFA 将与兔子福利组织 Bunny Wonderland 和新加坡家兔协会的团队密切合作，以完成最终的重新安置过程。

“我们的首要任务不仅是尽快为它们找到新家，而是找到合适的家——那些了解照顾兔子所需付出的努力，并准备好在兔子余生中照顾它们的家庭，”谭说道。

“遗弃不是解决办法，”谭说道，并补充说，考虑饲养小型动物作为宠物的人在做出决定前应该仔细考虑。

郭女士表示，国家公园局严肃对待所有涉嫌遗弃动物的案件。她补充说，对于遗弃宠物、未能妥善照料宠物或实施虐待动物行为的宠物主人，国家公园局将采取适当的执法行动。

“这些兔子对自己的遭遇毫无选择。我们现在至少能做的，就是给予它们应有的保护、关爱和第二次机会，”谭说道。

卡莉斯塔·王是《海峡时报》的一名记者，负责报道突发新闻和时事。她尤其关注生活方式和环境相关的新闻。

国家公园管理局