MALAYSIA: DOGS CAUGHT ARE STARVED, TORTURED, SUFFOCATED & KILLED

From "Letters", "Malaysiakini"
Parimalawani Muthiah May 8, 08 4:15pm

Put a stop to madcap dog-catching antics

I refer to the letter Urgent need for dog-pounds.

Personally I am sick to the stomach and fed-up with the antics of these animals in the guise of human beings who feel nothing when subjugating dogs to much suffering and pain.

I have also been told by Klang municipal council workers that caught dogs are kept in a 'caged-up' lorry without food or water from the time they are captured until they are cruelly executed.

There was also an occasion in Telok Panglima Garang, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Kuala Langat District Council, when I confronted a group of dog catchers trying to steal two dogs tied-up in someone's backyard.

The men, who were traveling in a council vehicle accompanied by two council officers, were themselves rounded-up to go on the dog-catching spree.

Some of them looked like drug addicts and alcoholics and had no qualms about trespassing into private property to steal the two dogs.

Upon confrontation, the officers quickly apologised and sped off with their sorry bunch of canine bounty hunters.

And of course Leigh's mention of the MPAJ also brings to mind JAD Enterprise which was engaged by the council to round-up stray dogs some years ago.

Many of the dogs which were caught by the canine bounty hunting company had suffocated to death after being locked-up in a van.

All these unfortunate incidents as well as the cruelty shown by local councils towards dogs arise because some people believe that they score heavenly points whenever they torture and put a dog to death.

I hope that the new Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor would put an immediate stop to the cruel madcap dog catching antics practiced by the local councils in the state.

DOGS CAUGHT BY MUNICIPAL COUNCIL WORKERS IN MALAYSIA ARE ILL-TREATED & KILLED

From "Letters", "Malaysiakini"
Leigh Chen Siew Kuan May 5, 08 3:07pm

Urgent need for dog-pounds

Jojo is a black and tan female dog who loves to climb over her owner’s wall and hide under the concrete drain slabs in the alley. On April 10, between 12 noon to 1pm, she was spotted by Ampang Municipal Council (MPAJ) dogcatchers who went on to noose her. As her owner wasn’t in, a neighbour informed them that Jojo is owned.

The dogcatchers told the neighbour they were acting on a ‘complaint’ about Jojo. The complaint wasn’t defined in detail. Jojo who is so elusive and petrified of humans?

That evening her owner came back and couldn’t find Jojo. The next day we still didn’t see her. On behalf of her owner, my friend rang up Rizal from Bahagian Kesihatan who confirmed he was in charge of yesterday’s dog-catching operations. Here comes the twist.

He remembered Jojo but didn’t noose her because she escaped. When my friend insisted she wanted to check out the dogs caught yesterday, he tersely informed her all the dogs were brought to Klang yesterday evening itself ‘untuk dibunuh’ following his superior’s orders. We, the people, are not allowed to go there. He coldly added, ‘Lagipun, tu semua anjing kurap dan liar!’

His superior, the council’s deputy environmental health officer, informed a journalist last year that the setting up of a dog pound had been delayed due to the high costs involved which he put at RM50,000 – RM60,000. Is MPAJ eradicating strays in this nauseating and vulgar approach as a humane service to community? No holding period or humane considerations would be granted to these hapless and homeless animals? How do we go about claiming pets, which have been mistaken for strays and caught by municipalities without pounds?

Municipal councils such as Kajang and Klang do not have dog-pounds. Where are the caught animals kept if they are unable to killed right away? I have heard of frightful and violent stories about councils and their dog-catching contractors. Some dogcatchers make a trip to the council to claim money for their catch only when the van is filled up with dogs. As it might take days or weeks for the van to be filled up, dogs caught earlier would have died of hunger, thirst, fights and puppies trampled to death. Fierce dogs have been bashed to death with a stick.

Another question follows. Is Rizal a qualified animal medical officer to make out clearly at one sweeping glance between mangy and non-mangy dogs? Would he have known if a particular owned mangy dog was undergoing skin treatment and just happened to stroll out for a while? Is he experienced enough to recognise if an animal is a stray or a house pet? A very relevant question: how are the ‘semua anjing kurap dan liar’ put down? Is this mass euthanasia supervised by a qualified animal medical officer?

The bottom line is humans caused the existence of strays through their irresponsible pet- ownership. It is in short the human wrongs that need managing. These strays, cats or dogs, (through no fault of their own) admittedly do have an adverse impact on the public health, safety, welfare and environment. Mandatory sterilisation is the most effective, economical, humane and ethical solution to the problem of unwanted cats and dogs lacking permanent homes. It arrests unwanted births too. This will seek to promote the health, safety, welfare and environment of the people considerably.

Till today, we are still crazy with worry as Jojo is still missing. Maybe, she went on a one way trip to Klang. To the ‘animal judges and executioners’ of our local municipal councils, I leave you with this quotation by Pierre Troubetzkoy to ponder over: ‘Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by what is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?’

Animals are mental creatures which have beliefs and desires, memories and expectations; who feel pleasure and pain, experience emotions. Like us.

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.

CRUELTY TO DOGS IN MALAYSIA

From "International Herald Tribune, Asia - Pacific"
"The Associated Press" article
Published: September 14, 2007

Malaysian town calls off controversial dog-catching competition after protests

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A Malaysian town called off a dog-catching competition to rid the streets of strays following criticism from animal activists, an official said Friday.

Razif Zainol Abidin, an official of the Selayang Municipal Council, said it decided to stop the contest after activists — with dogs in tow — protested what they said was an inhumane and distasteful competition.

"We withdrew the competition this morning," Razif told The Associated Press. "We won't stop catching the dogs, but we will ask the NGOs to help us do it in a proper way."

Selayang town in central Selangor state launched the competition last week to alleviate the problem of strays, promising residents 20 ringgit (US$5.70; €4.20) for each dog delivered.

The council also planned to spend a total of 39,000 ringgit (US$11,120; €8,180) to build playgrounds or other projects for community associations that caught at least 150 dogs within six months.

Animal activists strongly condemned the plan as ineffective, and warned people might use violent tactics that could hurt the dogs, or be bitten while trying to catch them.

Razif said no dogs had been caught under the program.

Malaysia, a mostly Muslim country, has strict laws on dog ownership. Dogs are considered unclean in Islam, and most owners are from the minority ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.

CRUELTY TO DOGS IN MALAYSIA

From "Metro Central", "The Star" newspaper, Malaysia
Wednesday September 12, 2007

Stop this disgusting contest!

I read with horror an advertisement on the Selayang Municipal Council’s (MPS’s) website and reports in the newspapers about a Dog Catching Competition where lucrative prize money was being offered to individuals who could catch the most dogs!

The council is offering RM15,000 to the top dog catcher (with 150 dogs or more in a period of six months), and for those who do not make the top three prizes, it is offering RM20 per dog. This is really disgusting!

How could the council even come up with such an idea? The competition would only encourage more cruelty towards these helpless animals. (Bear in mind that these stray dogs that are on the streets are due to our own negligence.)

What shocked me even more was the fact that the council had openly stated that it would not be held responsible for any injury or damage caused by the individuals to the general public or themselves in their attempts to catch these stray dogs.

The only requirement was that dogs that are caught be brought in alive.

This, in my opinion, would only encourage the would-be dog catchers to physically harm the dogs prior to taking them in to the council. The council does not seem to care for the welfare of the dogs that are brought in, as there was no statement anywhere in its advertisement stating that the dogs that are caught must be caught in a humane manner.

Moreover, I also believe that this competition would actually encourage people who are out to make easy money to steal dogs!

I think that the actions of the MPS in organising such a competition are not just irresponsible, but downright barbaric.

I would like to plead to the government and the authorities to look into this matter and stop this campaign immediately. Malaysia should be a nation that cares for all living creatures, and I believe that all religions teach us to be kind to all of God’s creatures.

There are other ways and means to curb the stray population in this country. Several groups and organi-sations, like the SPCA and PAWS, are working hard to educate the public via spay and neuter campaigns.

If we let the MPS get away with its barbaric dog catching competition, we are only reinforcing in the people the belief that cruelty is an acceptable way of life.

And, I sincerely believe that Malaysians do not want to be seen by the world as a nation that sanctions cruelty to animals.

I also urge all individuals not to take part in the competition in order to preserve our integrity as decent human beings.


YVONNE DENG

Selayang

EXPORT OF MONKEYS FROM MALAYSIA

From "Nation", "The Star" newspaper, Malaysia
Saturday September 1, 2007

Reimpose export ban on macaque, urges animal rights groups
By HILARY CHIEW
KUALA LUMPUR: Animal rights groups have opposed Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid’s decision to lift the 23-year-old export ban on the long-tailed macaque.

The groups come under the umbrella body, the Malaysian Animal Rights and Welfare

Society (Roar). President N. Surendran said lifting the ban was tantamount to condemning the monkeys to an insufferable fate.

“It is shocking that the authorities themselves are committing the offence. The minister is aware that the monkeys are used as pets and for food and medical (testing) purposes.

“In the food trade, the monkeys have their skulls pried open while alive, so diners can eat their brains,” Surendran claimed.

Under Section 92(f) of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, anyone who “wilfully does or wilfully omits to do anything which in any way causes any unnecessary suffering, pain or discomfort to any wild animal or wild bird” can be fined up to RM5,000, or sentenced to up to three years in jail.

On Aug 17, Azmi announced that the ban had been lifted, and now the group is demanding that the ban be reimposed.

Surendran also questioned the minister’s claim that sterilisation efforts to control the macaque population have failed, hence justifying the trading of this protected species.

“As far as we know, there has been no serious sterilisation programme of the long-tailed macaque. Even if it was true that some displaced monkeys have attacked urbanites, exporting them is not the solution.”

Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals chairman Christine Chin called for better management of the human-animal conflict caused by man encroaching on the habitat of the macaques.

She also urged the authorities to look into creating sanctuaries for wildlife to achieve sustainable development.

EXPORT OF MONKEYS FROM MALAYSIA

From "Opinions", "The Star" newspaper, Malaysia
Monday August 27, 2007

Restore the ban on monkey trading

THE recent decision by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to lift the ban on monkey trading comes as a shock to all Malaysians who are concerned for our wildlife and abhor cruelty towards animals.

These poor animals are to be seized from their habitats and sold abroad where many will be slaughtered for the pot and for medical research.

The reason the ministry gave for its decision is that this is the only way to overcome primate overpopulation.

But what about humane culling? Surely it is immoral and callous to make money out of selling monkeys.

To make things worse, the ministry will be encouraging the trade in exotic wildlife in Malaysia and in the region.

Once the supply of “legitimate” macaques from Malaysia runs out, restaurants overseas serving exotic meat will surely turn to illegal traders in our country to satisfy the lucrative demand for monkey meat.

This will lead to a huge increase in illegal hunting of macaques in our jungles.

Another reason cited by ministry officials is that there have been incidences of monkey attacks on humans in urban areas. No empirical data was given as to the frequency of such attacks. In fact, one rarely hears of such attacks.

In any event, mass capture and slaughter of wildlife is surely a disproportionate reaction to infrequent monkey attacks.

It should also not be forgotten that indiscriminate development and human encroachment into monkey habitats is the real cause of these attacks.

As a species, monkeys are quite similar to humans, both at a genetic and behavioural level.

I hope the minister concerned will restore the ban on monkey trading.

Any other course of action will shame this country in the eyes of the world and subject our macaques to a terrible fate.


N. SURENDRAN,

Kuala Lumpur.

CRUELTY TO DOGS IN MALAYSIA

Article in "The Sun" newspaper, Malaysia
Tue, 11 Sep 2007

Animal lovers protest against contest
By: Llew-Ann Phang

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 11, 2007): A group of 30 animal lovers from several organisations marched to the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) today to loudly
protest against the council’s dog-catching competition which is offering RM15,000 as the first prize to residents committees.

Representatives from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Malaysian Animal Rights and Welfare Association, Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PetPositive) and the Coalition of Animal Lovers chanted "Stop the hunt!" and held up posters to get their message through.

MPS enforcement officers stood on guard at the main entrance of the MPS tower, while the group led by SPCA chairwoman Christina Chin, the Coalition’s Natasha Valerie Fernz and PetPositive president Anthony Thanasayan marched in, with DAP’s Ronnie Liu and N. Surendran in tow.

They wanted to hand over a joint memorandum to MPS president Zainal Abidin Azim but he was on leave.

MPS assistant public relations officer Helda Syima Abu Talab met the group with some colleagues, including officers from the enforcement unit, but the group asked instead to see the health and municipal services director.

The crowd’s patience was further tested by a Selayang resident who spoke aloud about the lack of concern for dog-bitten victims, and defended throwing stones at stray dogs, saying these dogs threatened people.

Amid this, animal groomer Nuraini Rozaiti Mahamud, 35, stole the show with her Mix.fm life-size cardboard cutouts of radio DJs Ika, Serena C and Pietro in one hand, and her Australian silky terrier Phoebe in the other.

Nuraini said she would allocate some of the RM50,000 prize money – if she won the Mix.fm competition that ends on Friday (Sept 14) – to animal shelters, and treat orphans to a kenduri, besides pursuing her studies in animal psychiatry in Australia.

She waved off concerns that she would get into trouble if a picture of her and Phoebe was published, saying she did not neglect her Islamic obligations of samak (washing with mud), and found it an easier task with the taharah soap (made of mud) found in traditional Malay medicinal shops.

An MPS assistant administration officer finally persuaded the group to hand over their memorandum to Helda because the health and municipal services director was in a meeting.

The memorandum states that stray animals were a result of irresponsible owners who dumped and abandoned their pets or owned pets that were not neutered.

Together, the organisations called for:

an immediate end to the dog-catching competition;
implementation of highly effective neutering initiatives;
fines against irresponsible pet owners who dump and abandon their pets;
implementation of smart, humane and effective legislation to promote responsible pet ownership; and
education and publicity campaigns to promote responsible pet ownership.
Helda declined comment, saying the MPS president would be the best person to speak on the matter.

CRUELTY TO DOGS IN MALAYSIA

From "Letters" to "The Sun" newspaper, Malaysia
Wed, 12 Sep 2007

21st century dog treatment

I am shocked that the Selayang Municipal Council hands out prize money to residents who hunt down homeless dogs. The global community is disgusted by this greed-inspired campaign.
Animal abuse and death will occur in the frenzy to capture over 150 dogs within six months for cash prizes. Reactive mass round-ups do little to curb stray populations or prevent disease outbreak. Please implement non-violent solutions that include public access to low-cost rabies treatment, humane education, and "Spay/Neuter/Vaccinate/ Release" programmes.

Communities that offer low-cost sterilisation of companion animals see a significant reduction in stray numbers. Please foster a culture of responsible guardianship and humane education in keeping with 21st century animal welfare principles.

The real world has learned that animals of all kinds have the same feelings as humans do.

Barbara B. Hunter
Florida