In November last year, the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council in Johor came under fire when it announced that RM55 will be paid to the public for every dog caught as part of a stray eradication campaign.
The campaign was initiated following complaints of a large number of strays in neighbourhoods.
The announcement caused a furore and the council was subsequently reprimanded by Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim, whose family is well known for animal welfare activism.
The campaign was halted following a meeting between the council and Johor Baru Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which agreed to work together to come up with a humane method in dealing with strays.
Johor Baru SPCA vice-president Jacqueline Gomez says local councils should understand that there is a humane solution to the problem of stray animals.
“Sending them to their deaths is not the solution. Actions like offering money to catch stray dogs only reflects badly on us Malaysians as a peaceful community.”
She says local councils should assist animal rights organisations with the spaying and neutering of stray dogs and cats to gradually decrease their numbers.
Companion Animal Rescue Effort Society founder Joseph Chia says his group and others dealing with animal rights are working with local authorities, such as the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council, to control the population of strays.
“Streets are not homes for animals. More awareness programmes should be held to educate people to become responsible pet owners.”
Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary founder Raymund Wee says better collaboration between state government agencies and animal-focused NGOs will ensure that people become more aware of the rights of animals, especially domestic pets.
“Local councils in Johor are very cooperative in working with animal-welfare NGOs,” he says
The enforcement of the Animal Welfare Bill 2015 may provide relief for worried pet owners such as G.G. Tanabalan, who lost his mongrel in a tragedy resulting from what he claims to be an act of cruelty.
Two years ago, Tanabalan could not find his 7-month-old dog named Mike when he returned home from work in Bandar Seri Alam, Johor Baru. It was unusual for his pooch to be away when he came home, as Mike would usually greet him at the gate with its tail wagging.
Tanabalan searched the neighbourhood and asked those in the area if they had seen his dog.
To his horror, he discovered Mike lying outside a neighbour’s house, bleeding and writhing in pain.
Tanabalan rushed Mike to a veterinarian, where 10 shotgun pellets were removed from the dog’s body, most of them lodged in its skull, which was fractured. Mike’s injuries were so serious that the veterinarian had to put down the dog.
Police acted on Tanabalan’s report and arrested his neighbour, a 55-year-old People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) member, who was investigated for wrongfully discharging his hunting shotgun. The man had apparently shot the dog, claiming that it had tried to bite him.
The case is one of many where animals have brutally died in the hands of irresponsible people.
It shone a light on the abuse and mistreatment of canines and felines, which often lead to their gruesome deaths. Unfortunately, animal abuses are continuing despite the passing of the Animal Welfare Bill more than two years ago.