PUTRAJAYA: Animal welfare enforcement is carried out continuously and monitored through a structured complaints management system, say the Veterinary Services Department.
In a statement, the department said the allegations in a media report titled “Animal cruelty cases: Increasingly worrying, enforcement needs to be stricter” published on Dec 21 were inaccurate.
They stated there were 19,303 complaints received from 2021 to 2025, and 16,340 were complaints under the Animal Welfare Act 2015 (Act 772), while 2,963 were complaints not under the Act.
“Of all the complaints received, 16,394 have been resolved.
“The number of complaints received reflects the high level of awareness and knowledge among the Malaysian community regarding the channels and methods for channelling complaints related to animal welfare,” the statement said, Bernama reported.
It also said that based on well-founded complaints, 43 cases were successfully prosecuted and convicted in court during the same period, with a total fine of RM445,400 imposed on offenders.
According to the department, complaints are officially received through the MyAnimalWelfare System, an online platform that allows complaints to be recorded digitally and channelled directly to enforcement officers in the field according to the state or location of the incident for inspection and enforcement.
“MyAnimalWelfare plays an important role in the management of animal welfare complaints. Through this system, all complaints are recorded digitally and centrally, direct feedback to the complainant for transparent case tracking,” the statement said.
