Animal lovers on social media get more brands to drop Terry Yee

PETALING JAYA: Three international outdoor gear brands have dropped Tearproof Sdn Bhd as their Malaysian distributor following consumer demands to protest company owner Terry Yee’s attack on a dog.

Animal lovers have been posting on the official Facebook pages of Osprey Packs, Nalgene and Craghoppers - the three brands carried by Tearproof - demanding they choose a more “ethical” distributor.

"We do not want to own and buy products or brands that's (sic) associated or even tolerated with animal cruelty. There seems to be a serious lack of honesty and integrity in the business owner Mr. Terry Yee,” Cheong Wei Lin wrote on several of the brands' pages.

Similar views were shared by 45-year-old Prabha Krisnan, who put up a post on the Facebook page of the American water bottle maker Nalgene.

"The owner is an animal abuser and I for one will not purchase any of your products as long as you’re listed there," said Prabha.

When contacted, Prabha said he felt a need to reach out to the brands as he thinks it is the most effective way to send Yee a message about the repercussions of his actions.

Prabha added that this is the best way for him to show Yee the consequences of animal abuse as he is not a violent person.

Nalgene promptly responded to Prabha and other netizens, announcing that they will stop working with Yee.

"As you know, we were recently made aware of allegations regarding cruelty toward an animal involving one of our distributors in Singapore and Malaysia.

“The individual involved has admitted his actions and his company will no longer serve as a distributor of Nalgene products," Nalgene wrote.

UK-based travel clothes manufacturer Craghoppers also responded to similar messages, saying it has not dealt with Yee since 2016 and will not be dealing with him again in the future.

"We do not condone maltreatment of animals in any way and Mr Terry Yee Kok Chew’s behaviour does not represent the values and principles to which our brand adheres," the company added.

This comes after reports on Wednesday that US-based outdoor gear manufacturer Osprey Packs will be severing tries with Yee's company after reviewing the now-viral CCTV video of Yee beating a dog earlier this month.

In an email on Tuesday, BonDurant said that Osprey Packs considered Yee's actions to be “reprehensible.”

The three popular companies are the largest brands that Tearproof carries.

The Puchong-based company has outlets in MidValley Megamall, The Curve and One Utama in the Klang Valley.

After the CCTV recording went viral on Facebook, animal lovers have flooded Tearproof’s social media pages with hundreds of angry comments chastising Yee's actions.

The Singaporean had previously apologised for his actions in an exclusive interview with TheStarTV on April 7.

At 8.45pm on April 2, Yee flew into a rage and violently beat up the dog after falling off his bike when it broke free of its leash and ran towards him in front of a guardhouse at Taman Melody in Puchong.

The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) said the case was being investigated under Section 44 of the Animal Act 1953 for animal cruelty.

The dog is currently under the supervision of the Petaling district veterinary officer.

Attempts to reach Tearproof and Yee have been unsuccessful.