Animal rescuers, feeders also heroes

Only source of food and water for stray animals are humans. — Filepic

WHEN the movement control order (MC0) was announced to start on March 18, the first thing that crossed the minds of animal rescuers and feeders was the plight of the many street dogs and cats.

These animals depended on feeders as well as leftover food that some restaurants and stall owners fed them daily.

With restaurants having to strictly cater to only takeaways, and feeders and rescuers confined to their homes, street animals faced the threat of starvation.

Thanks to their dedication and compassion, animal rescuers and feeders nationwide requested for animal welfare non-governmental organisations to issue them letters requesting passage to feed the animals.

In the letter, the name of the feeders, their MyKad numbers, areas of feeding as well as time of feeding were clearly stated to be produced at roadblocks manned by police and military personnel.

Armed with this as well as cooked food, kibbles and water, these kind souls are currently going out for a couple of hours daily to quickly feed the stray dogs and cats in their neighbourhoods.

The police and army personnel manning the roadblocks have also been very helpful and seem to understand the need to feed stray animals.

There are also some non-habitual or regular feeders who have taken upon themselves to provide food for street animals in areas not covered by regular feeders as the animals are not able to source for their own food.

The general public is also supportive and helping the feeders and rescuers by contributing in cash and kind towards buying food for street animals.

It is important to feed street animals as well as neuter them as only then will they cease being a nuisance by rummaging dustbins for food.

With feeding, animal rescuers also gain the trust of these street animals, making it easier for them to be captured and sent for neutering and vaccinations before being returned to their original spot.

In places that practice the trap-neuter-release-manage (TNRM) method of stray management, such as Istanbul, Turkey — the local municipalities have food stations in various locations in the city for street animals.

These street animals are also vaccinated and neutered as well as ear-tagged for easy management.

It is perhaps an option for our local councils to look into instead of spending hundreds of thousands of ringgit annually to catch and cull them.

Local councils that hire pest control companies to do the deed, best pay them to eradicate the deadly Aedes instead, as dengue is a big threat in densely populated areas such as Subang Jaya, for example.

Animal welfare organisations, rescuers and feeders are helping street animals using funds from their own pockets as well as with public help and will continue doing so without expecting much from the government and authorities.

All they want is for the street animals to be given a chance to survive and live out their lives in peace.

Local authorities could depend on these animal welfare organisations to manage the street animals and strays.

These animals have nowhere else to go, so the only option is to allow them to remain where they are.

It is also downright ignorant of certain quarters to assume that every dog or cat on the street can find a home.

If rehoming rescued animals is so easy, animal rescue groups would not currently be saddled with hundreds and even thousands of dogs in their sanctuaries and shelters.

Coming back to those who are going out to feed street animals during the MCO, as far as animal activists are concerned, these people are also heroes for doing what many would not even think of during this trying time.

Instead of utilising the MCO to spend quality time with their families, these kind souls spend hours daily preparing food and feeding street animals.

Their only agenda is to ensure the unfortunate animals would not die of starvation or dehydration.

Indeed not all superheroes wear capes.

Some, especially the unseen ones, wear face masks and carry bundles of food and bottles of water as they move silently in the shadows satiating the hunger and thirst of the voiceless.