Singapore-born veterinary surgeon fined and sanctioned for obscene acts with animals in Australia

A Singapore-born veterinary surgeon based in Adelaide, Australia has been sanctioned and fined A$5,000 (US$3,289) for engaging in a series of inappropriate acts involving animals, Australian news media reported.

To practise veterinary medicine in the city state, one has to apply for and obtain a veterinary licence from the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) under the National Parks Board.

During the hearings in Australia on his case, Tan had denied having any sexual attraction towards animals but admitted to improper conduct.

Between August 2019 and September 2020, he was found to have inappropriately touched several animals in his care. This includes a Labrador retriever owned by the Royal Society for the Blind in South Australia.

The Australian broadcaster found his other acts too explicit to publish.

At the time of the offences, he was practising in the field of animal reproduction, including artificial insemination.

In the findings of the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal released last month, it was noted that some of his former colleagues had described feeling “uncomfortable” about the way he interacted with animals.

One veterinary surgeon said at a hearing that there was “no valid medical reason” for what Tan did in some instances, adding that his behaviour was “markedly abnormal” and a “serious breach of the standards of behaviour expected of veterinarians”.

Tan was investigated after the Registrar of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia raised a complaint against him.

During the hearings with the tribunal, a petition signed by 17 people in the veterinary industry was submitted, where people told of witnessing Tan performing inappropriate acts with animals and that the behaviour “goes against