PETALING JAYA: An animal rights non-governmental organisation has recently called for a compassionate stray dog management procedure nationwide following allegations of live puppies dumped in a pit with dog carcasses in Perak.
Persatuan Haiwan Terbiar president Kalaivanan Ravichandran has urged for the standard operating procedure (SOP) to “incorporate humane practices”, according to a report by Free Malaysia Today.
Kalaivanan said the handling of stray animals differs across the country, where the local authorities have “their own laws”, stating that these local councils still practice “cruel” methods whereas other councils have “improved their ways”, as quoted.
Earlier, the New Straits Times reported that former Manjung council member Khairil Azhar Khairuddin, 48, shared several videos of dog carcasses and live puppies allegedly dumped in a pit approximately four feet deep at a garbage disposal site in Sitiawan, Perak.
Some of these dogs were still wearing collars. He was also heard saying in one of the videos that two of the puppies were “chucked”, as quoted, into the pit with their dead mother.
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He also called for local councils to halt “killing, shooting or poisoning”, as quoted, stray animals when dealing with the issue of handling the population of stray animals.
“We also totally disagree with strays being put to sleep unless the animal is sick or is suffering in pain with no cure. Only when there is no way to save it, on a veterinary doctor’s advice, should the animal be put to sleep,” Kalaivanan was quoted as saying.
Furthermore, he proposed that animal pounds under the local authorities be turned into temporary accommodations for stray animals and given access to the NGOs for spaying, neutering as well as carry out adoption drives.
“Those that cannot be successfully adopted can perhaps be sent to a shelter or released,” he was also quoted as saying.
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Meanwhile, a founder of Lawyers for Animal Rights Rajesh Nadarajan called for the police to investigate the matter and hold the perpetrators responsible.
Those found guilty of animal cruelty can be sentenced to three years in prison or fined between RM20,000 and RM100,000 or both.
Kalaivanan clarified that the videos were from 2022 however, he suspected that the local council was applying the same practice.
Khairil also claimed, according to the New Straits Times, that a local council applied a “new modus practice” - allegedly shooting stray dogs in the “outskirts” of an area and dumping them into “mass graves”, as quoted.
In another report by the New Straits Times, Khairil claimed that the practice of capturing and shooting stray dogs in Sitiawan has been going on “for years”, as quoted, alleging that the local authorities have captured the dogs and “pack them tightly”, as quoted, into a cage, not feeding them food or water.
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Khairil said previously, he had tried to engage with the Manjung Municipal Council to address the issue and claimed that the council has not “engaged” with activists in managing the area’s stray dog population.
Last month’s culling of a stray dog “Kopi” in Besut, Terengganu sparked public outrage with many demanding that the local council take accountability.
In light of the incident, 13 NGOs demanded that the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) enforce the Animal Welfare Act and take action against those responsible for Kopi’s death.
Besides that, a rally was held on October 27 outside the Besut District Council (MDB) demanding answers and transparency from the council regarding the stray dog’s culling but the rally saw a low turnout.
