Hamster Society Singapore Rescues 34 Abandoned Hamsters In Yishun & Cairnhill
The quest to fight for welfare of hamsters in the country continues for Hamster Society Singapore (HSS). They rescued a shocking total of 34 abandoned hamsters in 1 night.
On Sunday (28 Jul), the society shared the story of their epic rescue on Facebook.
Society president Ms Cheryl Capelli said they were alerted by good Samaritans who found the abandoned hamsters at:
- The bin area in a Yishun HDB block
- The bin centre of a Cairnhill condo
Some of the rescue hamsters are said to require veterinary attention, and HSS is running low on funds, given the sudden increase of rescued “victims” in a day.
17 abandoned hamsters rescued at Yishun
According to Ms Capelli, a good Samaritan found 17 abandoned hamsters of different ages placed in 4 cages at 9.30am Saturday (27 Jul).
They were located inside glass cabinets near the bin area of a HDB block in Yishun. At 1pm, they were still there, so the rescuer decided to take them in.
Image courtesy of Ms Capelli
Ms Capelli said,
They were in a sorry state — their cages were dirty and they were scrambling on top of each other.
After cleaning the cage and contacting HSS, the society swiftly picked up all the hamsters by 10pm.
Image courtesy of Ms Capelli
Another 17 rescued at Cairnhill
As HSS went to retrieve the Yishun hamsters, another rescue was taking place. They had received another alert of some 14-17 hamsters in distress at a Cairnhill condo.
The condo management in Cairnhill was reportedly caring for some 14-17 hamsters abandoned in 8 cages. They were apparently dumped at the bin centre when their owners moved out.
Image courtesy of Ms Capelli
Taking pity on the hamsters, 2 hamster lovers managed to rescue 12 of them before contacting HSS. Some hamsters were suspected to be pregnant.
Image courtesy of Ms Capelli
Even though HSS received news of the Cairnhill hamsters at 1am Sunday (28 Jul), they sprang to the rescue all the same.
More hamsters rescued 2 days before
Ms Capelli related that 2 days before the Yishun and Cairnhill episodes, her team managed to rescue another 2 abandoned hamsters in an Aljunied HDB block last Thursday (25 Jul).
Image courtesy of Ms Capelli
The hamsters were found in such a bad state that when they were rescued, they stank up the whole car.
Image courtesy of Ms Capelli
Couldn’t save all of them
Despite their best efforts, Ms Cairnhill had sad news to share.
If you thought the drama ended there, you’re wrong. 1 of the mother hamsters from the Yishun batch rejected her jellybean babies due to stress.
Despite volunteers trying to hand-feed the babies milk every hour, 2 of them passed away.
Image courtesy of Ms Capelli
Rest in peace, little ones.
How you can help
With HSS trying their best to help these precious creatures, their efforts wouldn’t be possible without help from fellow hamster lovers out there.
If this story moves you, here’s how you can help:
- Spread the word about HSS’ adoptable hamsters — so they can free up space for these new rescues. You can check out their adoption gallery here.
- If you would like to make a private donation, send them a message on Facebook.
Hamsters may be small, but they are innocent lives that matter all the same. Do be a responsible pet owner and keep your hamsters individually in their own cages — this prevents careless breeding.
Meanwhile, share this with your family and friends so that you can help spread awareness about hamster care and hopefully, reduce numbers of abandoned hamsters in Singapore.
Featured images courtesy of Ms Capelli.
