PETALING JAYA: A cash incentive scheme introduced by the Seremban City Council for surrendering stray dogs could encourage the public to capture and pass off owned pets as strays, warned Lawyers for Animal Rights (LAR).
Under the Program Pemberian Insentif Penyerahan Anjing Terbiar Secara Sukarela 2026, the council offers RM50 for every adult dog and RM25 for every puppy handed over.
Describing the initiative as a dangerous "cash-for-capture scheme," group called on the council to withdraw it immediately. The group noted that the policy contradicts Veterinary Services Department’s guidelines, which classify animal capture as a high-risk activity requiring trained personnel.
"The council’s own Form SA-02 requires applicants to accept responsibility for injuries or risks during capture," the group said in a statement on Thursday (Aug 13). "The council knows the risks, yet instead of deploying trained personnel, it is paying members of the public to undertake a dangerous task while attempting to shift liability onto them."
The group also voiced alarm over rules allowing individuals to surrender unlicensed dogs simply by declaring them ownerless.
"A dog without a licence is not necessarily an ownerless dog," the group stated, warning that the RM50 bounty provides a financial incentive for pet kidnapping.
The group questioned whether the council has safeguards in place, such as microchip checks or lost-pet verification, and criticised the council for excluding experienced animal welfare NGOs in favour of public bounties.
The group urged the Negeri Sembilan DVS and the Housing and Local Government Ministry to investigate who approved the scheme and why capture operations were outsourced to untrained citizens.
"Malaysia has just witnessed the tragic consequences of an animal-capture operation involving Rocky," the statement added. "The lesson should be clear: animal capture must become more professional and humane, not a cash bounty system."
