Poisoning not the solution, shooting also not a method to manage strays

Bring them to justice: The group of office workers who had been feeding the dogs that were poisoned last month, at the press conference with SPCA. With them are SPCA Selangor patron Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye (far right) and SPCA Selangor chief executive officer Lorna Fisher (second from right).

THE alleged poisoning of 15 stray dogs in an open-air private carpark in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur on Aug 28 has caused outrage among animal lovers.

Tests by a veterinarian found that they had been poisoned. Chicken heads and a toxic substance were also found at the scene.

Five of the dogs survived and four are now in foster care while one has been rehomed.

The dogs had made the carpark their home for the past five years, and a group of office workers had been feeding them every day. One of the workers, Christine Yen, said they planned to find proper homes for the dogs.

“In June, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) came to catch the dogs after receiving complaints about their presence in the carpark. “We asked the workers to give us an extension so that we could relocate the dogs,” said Yen.

She, together with a group of concerned individuals, lodged a police report at the Jalan Tun Razak police station on Sept 11.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) held a press conference to highlight the issue yesterday at its headquarters in Ampang.

“Poisoning and shooting should not be used to manage strays and whoever did this should be brought to justice,” said SPCA Selangor chairman Christine Chin.

She said the poisoning and shooting of animals was banned under the Animals Act 1953.

“We have written to the relevant government agencies to express our grave concern over this matter,” said Chin, adding that the Animal Welfare Act should be implemented as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage Malaysia (TNRM) co-founder Stuart Tan said dog poisoning was not uncommon in Malaysia.

TNRM is an NGO dedicated to managing and reducing the stray dog population.

He added that killing groups of strays in an area was not a solution to managing the problem as new ones would replace them.

“NGOs, the public and local councils should work hand in hand to tackle the issue, and not catch and kill them.

“TNRM has proven to be effective in other countries in keeping the stray population down,” said Tan.