SEREMBAN: The Negri Sembilan government is looking for more locations to house captured stray dogs, says local government development committee chairman J. Arul Kumar.
Arul - who also holds the housing and transport portfolios - said the state government does not kill stray dogs or allow them to be put to sleep, and will also work with non-governmental organisations to build shelters for the strays.
"The state government will take the appropriate action to resolve issues related to stray dogs in residential areas in line with provisions under the Animal Welfare Act 2015.
"We are aware of the problems caused by the strays in some areas, such as the danger they pose to residents, causing accidents and we are committed to resolving them," he said.
Arul had participated in an operation in Mantin on Wednesday (June 26) where 10 strays were caught, and said he would continue to do so in future.
He said all local councils in the state have also been told to prioritise managing and attending to complaints related to strays.
"In Negri Sembilan, we use the trap-neuter-release method to manage the problem and the dogs would then be sent to shelters run by NGOs.
"During yesterday's (June 26) state exco meeting, it was also decided that once neutered, the stray dogs will not be released in areas where they were caught but would be sent straight to shelters run by NGOs," he said.
Arul said the state government has also allocated RM100,000 this year to neuter strays and as of May, 378 dogs have been neutered.
He said the Seremban City Council caught 1,478 strays caught in operations until May and the dogs have also been sent to the shelters.
He said the TNR method adopted at the beginning of this year was a win-win situation but it would take some time before it yielded results.
Arul said the state government had also introduced a new ruling whereby dog owners are required to neuter their dogs.
This is to check the population of strays in case their pet is abandoned.
