PETALING JAYA: Animal welfare groups are urging Malaysians to continue caring for stray dogs responsibly while taking precautions.
Sarawak Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) president Datin Dona Drury Wee said the state has been taking a lot of measures against rabies.
“Other regions near borders should follow Sarawak’s move on the Immune Belt Enforcement Team (IBET) having buffer zones to spot dogs with rabies.
“IBET oversees 1,000 villages. The villages are very big and they will communicate with IBET and tell them if a dog doesn’t seem well or probably has rabies.
“The dog will then be taken for brain samples testing. So the villages are very cooperative,” she said in an interview.
Dona Drury said the public can feed strays, but advised to avoid doing it near places like coffee shops or jogging tracks.
“If feeders have an open wound, make sure it’s not licked by the dog,” she said.
Dona Drury also said stronger enforcement is needed for dogs kept on boats or fish farms to ensure owners comply with vaccination requirements.
“Singapore and Australia require dogs travelling on boats to be vaccinated and carry proper documentation to ensure their country is rabies-free,” she said.
Dona Drury said Sarawak will carry out a pilot project next month on mass vaccination for dogs.
There will also be surveys to build a proper database on pets.
This programme is a collaboration between SSPCA, Sarawak Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) and Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre.
Data from Sarawak DVS showed that dog rabies cases were down to 6% in brain samples tested, compared to 33% in 2019.
“Human deaths were mostly due to failure to seek medical treatment.
“All government clinics in Sarawak have rabies vaccination for humans. There is also free vaccination for dogs at DVS.
“Dog owners should ensure their pets are vaccinated,” she said.
Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better founder Wani Muthiah said rabies is not a Peninsular Malaysia issue and that it should not frighten those who are feeding strays.
“Dogs with rabies may be coming in from the Kalimantan border to Sarawak.
“When a case of rabies happens around other areas of Malaysia, DVS will immediately mitigate it to prevent an outbreak,” she said.
