S'gor to adopt humane, compassionate practice when dealing with strays

SHAH ALAM: Selangor is on its way to becoming the first state in Malaysia to sterilise stray animals rather than culling as a form of population control.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals (SPCA) Selangor today launched "Stray Free Selangor: The Humane and Compassionate Way (SFS)", an initiative to change stray population control methods in Selangor that has the support of the state government and the Royal family.
SPCA Selangor patron Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the SFS committee will be meeting with local governments to educate them on the soon to be enforced Animal Welfare Act and on sterilising strays for population control.
"We have already met the Mentri Besar (Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali) and he said he will arrange a meeting for us with the local councils.
"SFS will be clarifying and educating local councils on the Animal Welfare Act and on how to properly handle strays," Lee told a press conference after SFS's launch today.
SPCA Selangor chairman Christine Chin said culling has been proven to be ineffective for population control as it does not prevent other strays from breeding.
Furthermore, Chin said, whatever vacuum left by culling will be quickly filled by other animals.
"It is simply more effective to prevent breeding, and teaching communities to be more compassionate to animals," she said.
Chin added that educating humane treatment of animals had reduced SPCA's stray intake from about a thousand a month to a mere 60 animals a month in the past 15 years.
SFS co-chairman Datin Norely Abd Rahman said another benefit of sterilising is having a controlled population of docile and healthy animals that will not endanger the community.
Norely said strays are often territorial animals and will not allow other strays from wandering into their territory, thus preventing the spread of diseases.
She also pointed out that developed nations that implement sterilisation programmes do not have stray animals wandering their streets, making the country cleaner and safer.
The launching ceremony was graced by Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, who is also SFS patron, and Mohamed Azmin.