Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) is planning to collaborate with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) on a neutering programme as part of efforts to manage the city’s growing stray dog population.
Klang mayor Datuk Abd Hamid Hussain said the proposed initiative would adopt a trap-neuter-release (TNR) approach, where the neutering procedure would be funded by the NGO, while MBDK provides temporary shelter for the animals during the process.
“MBDK aims to gradually reduce the city’s stray dog population through the implementation of the TNR programme.
“Dogs removed from the streets will be neutered and we hope the NGO will be able to rehome the animals instead of returning them to the streets,” he said.
MBDK records estimate 11,000 stray dogs roaming the streets of Klang district, drawing frequent complaints from the public.
Abd Hamid added that trained staff from the council’s Health Department would be utilised to safely capture stray dogs from neighbourhoods and place them in the city’s shelter.
“The dogs will also be vaccinated.
“We want these animals put up for adoption so that they can find new homes,” he said during a cat adoption programme at Taman Kucing Klang, its facility housing stray cats, in Bandar Bukit Raja.
Abd Hamid said previous animal welfare efforts carried out between January and June this year saw 430 dogs and 18 cats vaccinated.
“From January to July, a total of 2,125 dog licences were issued, compared with 2,298 licences for the whole of last year.”
Abd Hamid added that plans to better manage the stray dog population while ensuring public safety and animal welfare remained as priorities.
“MBDK is in the final phase of building a shelter for stray dogs at Pulau Indah in Port Klang.
“The shelter will accommodate stray or abandoned dogs as part of the city council’s humane animal-handling approach.
“Our shelter, to be called ‘Canine Housing and Neutering Centre’, will be built on a 2.5ha triangular plot in Taman Perindustrian Pulau Indah.”
He added that dogs brought to the shelter would be neutered to control the population and address complaints over unlicensed canines.
Abd Hamid said the estimated cost of the shelter was RM1mil.
“MBDK’s plan is to have an area for adoptable dogs.
“We want to encourage people to visit the kennels and adopt neutered animals,” he said.
The cat adoption event at Taman Kucing Klang drew residents from several nearby neighbourhoods.
MBDK assistant senior environmental health officer Nurbaiti Harom said the city council had informed residents about the programme via leaflets.
“The turnout was good. There were 20 health department staff attending to residents,” she said.
The next cat adoption event at the site will be held in the first week of October.
