PETALING JAYA: How effective is the Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage (TNRM) method to control the stray dog population, ensuring their welfare, and will the community accept this method? These are the questions the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) is working on.
The study being done in Penang jointly with several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local authorities (PBT) is expected to be completed within a year, said DVS director-general Dr Akma Ngah Hamid.
She said that the study had to determine the implications of the TNRM method on the welfare of stray animals, identify the most effective mechanisms for their care after sterilisation, and measure the community’s acceptance of TNRM.
"It is true that we can control the population, but what we need to identify is how to ensure the welfare of abandoned animals after they are released,” she told reporters after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between DVS and external agencies at the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture, and Agrotourism Exhibition 2024 here on Friday (Sept 20).
"We hope that when we implement the TNRM method, people will adopt the animals as pets. (However), according to the Animal Welfare Act 2015, we do not encourage Trap-Neuter-Release, simply because we do not want the animals to roam freely.
Dr Akma said that the DVS was working alongside the Penang City Council, the Seberang Perai City Council, and NGOs such as Independent Aid for Protection and Welfare of Animals, Persatuan Kebajikan Haiwan Terbiar Pulau Pinang, and Persatuan Kebajikan Haiwan Liar Butterworth Pulau Pinang in conducting the study.
Meanwhile, she said that the department had signed an MoU with Universiti Malaya to research how using genetic material in breeding organised livestock can improve their quality for commercial potential.
She said that the DVS had also signed an MoU with Universiti Putra Malaysia to enhance their collaboration in training, research, and development within veterinary science and animal husbandry.
"We hope that this collaboration will facilitate efforts to resolve the issues in the livestock sector, particularly in improving the self-sufficiency rate of beef and buffalo meat, thereby securing the country’s food supply,” she said. - Bernama
