State Housing and Local Government Chairman Sandrea Ng (middle) and MBI security and enforcement director Ahmad Zaiyadi Sudin (right) at the press conference on the stray dogs issue.
IPOH: An estimated 270 dogs caught by the Ipoh City Council have been put to sleep this year.
Council enforcement director Ahmad Zaiyadi Sudin said these dogs were deemed dangerous or diseased and could not be released back into the streets.
“No one came forward to claim them.
"If an owner comes forward within the set period, which is three days, the dog can be returned but with a fine," he told a press conference here on Wednesday (July 23).
"We referred cases involving dog bites to the Veterinary Services Department (DVS), which often recommends euthanasia as these dogs cannot be released into public spaces," he added.
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Ahmad Zaiyadi said a total of 941 complaints were received from Jan 1 and July 20, 740 involving stray dogs and 201 involving pets.
He said about 150 of the total complaints were related to dog bites, while the majority involved dogs chasing people or large packs gathering along roads, creating a safety concern.
“We’ve received complaints about strays biting, chasing, and even causing fatal accidents.
"These issues are affecting the community, but in tackling the increasingly critical stray animal situation, we also face limitations such as the pound’s capacity, low public awareness among pet owners, and the very low adoption rate across Perak,” he said, adding that about 30 dogs were put to sleep at the Lahat Animal Detention Centre on Monday (July 21).
Asked about claims that some feeders wanted to take the dogs, only to be told the animals had been euthanised and taken to a landfill, he said no one came forward during the holding period.
Perak housing and local government committee chairman Sandrea Ng said the trap-neuter-release-manage (TNRM) programme was found to be ineffective in certain areas with high stray populations.
ALSO READ: Distressing video of dogs being buried at Lahat pound sparks outrage
"The city council and other local councils initially cooperated with non-governmental organisations on this.
"But we realised that releasing neutered animals back into problem areas didn’t solve the issue.
"Neutering is effective, but it must be paired with holistic management, including a proper database, to ensure both community safety and animal welfare are addressed," she said.
Asked if the city council would apply the euthanasia approach from now, she said it would.
She also commented on recent viral video footage that supposedly shows dogs being buried alive.
Ng said the state government regrets the public circulation of such content and the misinformation that followed.
"Regrettably, the city council was accused of burying dogs alive, a claim that is not even supported by the video itself," she said.
ALSO READ: Ipoh City Council rubbishes rumours of dogs buried alive in viral video
“The irresponsible statements made... have misled the public and escalated tensions. We are looking into this matter and will take legal action against those who spread the footage."
Ng said the authorities understood the sadness and disappointment of animal lovers.
"But... euthanasia is carried out under the Animal Welfare Act and is the most appropriate course of action in certain cases,” she added.
The video, showing workers in uniform burying several dead dogs at a pound in Lahat, was shared by the Ipoh branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).
ISPCA president Ricky Soong said a man dropped off a pen drive containing the footage at his office at around 6.30pm on Monday (July 21).
The footage, believed to have been taken on the same day, has sparked grief, anger and demands for accountability from animal lovers and NGOs.
In one segment, dogs are seen alive in cages, while another shows mass graves where presumably dead dogs have been thrown.
The Ipoh City Council (MBI) has since denied allegations that dogs were buried alive at the Lahat Animal Detention Centre, following the circulation of a viral video that sparked public outrage on social media and news portals.
In a statement on Tuesday (July 22), MBI clarified that the burial process shown in the video was part of the standard operating procedures (SOP) for the management of stray animals.
