POISONING OF HOMELESS DOGS BY MUNICIPAL COUNCIL WORKERS IN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

From "Metro, Central", "The Star" newspaper, Malaysia
Saturday April 26, 2008
By WANI MUTHIAH

Strays being poisoned

A NURSING home manager in Old Klang Road has alleged that certain quarters are on a dog-poisoning spree in the city.

Prakash Singam claimed that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) dog-catching unit might be behind this.

According to the 33-year-old, he first spotted food being thrown out to dogs from a DBKL van cruising around his neighbourhood early this year.

“There were three men in the van, including the driver, and they were throwing food from the vehicle’s side door,” said Prakash.

He said the stray dogs in the area immediately rushed towards the food and began eating them.

Realising that something was amiss, Prakash said he rushed towards the dogs and shooed them away from the food but some of the dogs had already started eating the food by then.

“A dog, which ate the most began foaming at the mouth and became disoriented,’’ said Prakash, adding that he didn’t see the dog again after that.

He said he also found a dead dog in a monsoon drain near his home a day after the incident.

But his real nightmare took place last week when his two dogs, Leia and Dopey, were taken ill.

“In the evenings we usually let them out for a while. One evening they returned home foaming at the mouths,” he said.

He said both his dogs were licensed and never ventured far when let out and usually just hung around the front gate.

“Dopey was not so serious and we managed to nurse him back to health but Leia had to be treated at a veterinary clinic for about a week,’’ said Prakash.

He added there were burn marks inside her throat and the veterinarian who treated Leia said the dog had suffered a bad case of pesticide poisoning.

Meanwhile, SPCA chairman Christine Chin said a volunteer pet rescuer had also informed her that some people had also seen several men throwing chicken heads to dogs in the Jalan Kuching vicinity from a DBKL van.

Apparently after consuming the food, the dogs started foaming at the mouth and later died.

When contacted Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk M. Saravanan said it was hard to believe that DBKL was behind the poisoning spree.

“I strongly believe the DBKL’s dog- catching unit will not resort to such an inhumane and cruel method of countering the problem of stray dogs,’’ said Saravanan.

However, he added that he would look into the matter as soon as possible.