THE first thing Form Six student Belle Lio Siew Wen does when she wakes up – even on a typical school day – is to cook rice for the strays in her neighbourhood.
Discipline is key as she times herself to do that at 5.15am. Sometimes, she even squeezes in time to refill their kibble before heading for school.
When school time is over, she returns home at 3pm and immediately sets out to cook and prepare food for the strays by 5.40pm.
Feeding takes about 40 minutes and cleaning up takes her another 30 minutes.
So it is from 9pm onwards that the arts and business student finally has time for her schoolwork.
A love that runs deep: Belle founded a non-profit animal welfare organisation at the age of 17 in a bid to care for the strays in her neighbourhood.
That is when she works on her assignments before going to bed at 12am, the earliest.
Weekends are not spared, as well, as she spends some of her time with the animals.
In addition, twice a week, she takes it upon herself to refill kibble and cook chicken rice for the dogs and cats that she feeds at certain areas.
The SMK St. Joseph, Kuching, Sarawak, student commits herself to this routine for one reason only – her deep love for animals.
“I’ve always been fond of animals.
At the age of 15, I started looking after my neighbourhood strays by feeding them and getting them neutered to prevent countless puppies dying from illnesses like parvovirus and tick fever,” the 19-year-old told StarEdu.
It was this love and care that she had felt for the animals that inspired her to start PawsofHopeMY, a non-profit animal welfare organisation that she runs with her family, when she was 17.
“I wanted to step forward and make a change for the strays even though I was a student. Nothing is impossible if you make an effort,” she said.
Recalling her journey, Belle said she had initially fed strays around her neighbourhood using her pocket money.
“My parents also helped to sponsor their food. After I founded the non-profit, the feeding rounds and rescuing work are dependent on funds from my supporters. I look for sponsors at the start of every month,” she shared.
She also tackles the challenge of funding by selling merchandise such as tote bags bearing the PawsofHopeMY logo.
Besides the struggle of keeping the operations afloat without having a regular income, Belle has had to cope with the travails of fighting for animal rights.
Citing an incident in which she received backlash for posting a video on how local authorities had taken away a mother dog and its six puppies, she said the fiasco had affected her mental health.
“It made me feel vulnerable and impotent as an 18-year-old who just wanted to stand up for animal rights. The thought of having my foster animals taken away from me if any report was lodged against me scares me the most,” she said.
Despite the obstacles, Belle remains optimistic that continuing standing up for animal rights will make inroads into the cause.
“We have a right to voice our opinions regarding matters like animal cruelty. Non-governmental organisations, pet owners, those involved in the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return programmes, and all pet-related industries should gather together to fight for animal rights,” she asserted.
In tackling pet abandonment and animal abuse in Malaysia, Belle is of the view that microchipping pets should be made mandatory for all pet owners in order to trace the pets back to their owners and reduce the abandonment rate.
“Take for example, outside Europe, the microchipping of dogs is compulsory in countries including New Zealand and in some Australian states. For cats, compulsory microchipping has been introduced in France, Belgium, Greece and some parts of Spain and Australia.
The practice appears to be spreading,” she elaborated. She also recommended neutering pets, regardless of gender.
“If pet owners are facing financial difficulties, the least they can do is quarantine their pets for a month and make sure they aren’t able to mate. This is to prevent unwanted litter and abandonment in the long run.
“I have met people who refused to neuter their male pets. When these pets are let loose, there is a high chance they will impregnate female strays outside, which will eventually lead to more strays,” she lamented.
“I hope pet owners will be more responsible for their pets. If they are unable to provide the basic necessities, it is best not to get one because in the end, the animals are the ones that will suffer the most,” she added.
She also said that certain laws need to be enforced to ensure animal sellers are licensed, huge advisories are displayed at their shops or kennels, and contracts are signed by the buyers to acknowledge their duties and responsibilities.
On her part, she carries out strict screening of keen adopters of her foster animals to ensure they are genuine in their interest and are able to fully commit as pet owners.
“It is important to make sure the animals under our foster care are not able to escape from our homes because it is very risky for them,” she said, adding that wire nets, big cages and playpens can be very helpful to contain the animals.
“When it comes to fostering dogs that are timid, we must be patient and give them time to get used to our presence. Some dogs may growl or even bite their foster parents out of fear but as time passes by, they will eventually trust the latter more,” she explained.
When asked the most memorable experience she has gained from protecting animal welfare, she pointed to the time she reached out to the Sarawak Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA), when it was affected by the January 2021 flash floods.
“My dad and I went to the shelter in the middle of the night to rescue the dogs, which were almost drowning. Although it was quite dangerous since the water level was above my hips and many things were falling apart, I braved myself to carry the dogs to higher grounds,” she recalled.
“It was really heartwarming to see a few other volunteers helping the dogs, as well. I also appealed to the public via the PawsofHopeMY Instagram page to assist us by posting a video showing how terrible the flood was.
“After two days of flooding, the water subsided and the dogs could finally have a good rest, which made me feel at ease,” she said.
To those looking to own their own pets, Belle recommended adopting, instead of buying, them.
“I hope parents encourage their children to treat all animals kindly as they’re all God’s beautiful creations,” she concluded.
Nieha, 19, a student in Melaka, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.
For more information, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
Now that you have read the article, test your understanding by carrying out the following English language activities.
1 In what way can pet abandonment and animal abuse be tackled in Malaysia? Look for the points raised by Belle.
Then, illustrate them using a mind map.
Add any other points you can think of. When you are done, discuss the points with an activity partner, ranking them from the most viable to the least, in both your views.
2 There are many jobs related to working with animals.
Do you know at least five of them?
Do some research. Then, come up with a list.
Would you consider any of them as your future occupation? Why or why not?
Based on what you have learnt about Belle, which animal-related job do you think would be most suitable for her? Discuss with your activity partner.
The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme promotes the use of English language in primary and secondary schools nationwide. For Star-NiE enquiries, email starnie@thestar.com.my.
