MORE than 30 bands from Kuala Lumpur will perform for one night in Langkawi in the “Pause for Paws 3.0” charity concert to raise funds for the hundreds of strays on the island.
The concert, which is the brainchild of two animal lovers, will be held at the Bon Ton Resort, at 3pm on July 27.
Their aim is to collect enough funds to aid, trap and neuter the animals to control their population.
The organisers of the event are Joy Victor, who is a renowned musician, and her partner Joanne Melissa Wong, who owns two music schools in Kuala Lumpur.
Joy who previously lived on the island for 10 years is passionate about caring for the strays which is an ongoing problem on the island.
“The overpopulation of stray dogs and cats has reached an alarming rate as well as a rise in abuse,” Victor said.
“Some have been poisoned, shot with arrows, beaten or endured other cruelties.”
She said if the strays are not neutered, they will breed and overpopulate then becoming a menace to society.
“The only way to curb this problem is to neuter these animals and educate the public on the importance of neutering their pets.”
Joy estimates there could be more than 1,000 stray cats and dogs roaming the island.
She said people need to realise that this problem with stray dogs and overpopulation is a big concern as it will affect tourism and businesses on the island.
“The community needs to work together and not turn a blind eye to the issue.”
Joy said the dogs and cats did not choose to be strays and questioned the point of any law on animal welfare if it was not enforced.
“My goal and hope is to have an ongoing campaign called “Stray Free Langkawi” spearheaded by the local council and government working together with the shelters, volunteers and vets.
“Only then can we achieve this mission successfully.”
She said all proceeds will go to LASSie animal shelter and 4PAWS, a shop selling pre-loved items to raise funds to spay, neuter and pay for the medical bills for strays in Langkawi.
LASSie shelters more than 200 dogs and cats that is fully funded by Bon Ton resorts and run by Australian owner Narelle McMurtrie.
In the past months, the shelter has carried out two rounds of mass neutering of cats, successfully neutering over 250 strays.
4PAWS is run by Rozy Putra who took over the shop last year when she moved to the island.
Since February 2023, she has collected funds to successfully neuter more than 200 dogs and 100 cats with a team of volunteers.
Rozy also currently feeds over 100 stray dogs around Langkawi, hoping to gain their trust, so she could easily catch them to bring to the vet to be neutered.
As for strays being dumped on the smaller islands, Victor said that she has not heard or seen any such incidents.
“I would not be surprised if it could be true as I have witnessed many dogs being dumped at certain other areas of the island.”
She also hoped that if the government, civil society groups and rescuers can work together towards a common goal so that in 10 to 15 years Langkawi can be a stray free island and other states could also follow suit.
“If people were getting rid of the strays, people would sometimes dump the dogs at LASSie.
“This poses a threat to the existing dogs at the shelter as the strays may be carriers of certain contagious fatal diseases like Parvo.
“This overpopulation of strays is happening all over the country.”
As for the concert on July 27, the duo is hoping to rake in about RM60,000 for the strays.
Joy said among the 30 bands and musicians who will be performing are 9 Lives, Kaya, Jumero, Jazper & the fellas, Saint Kylo, David Soh, Evie Feroza, Darren Ashley, Pete Kallang and many others.
She also praised all the bands and musicians for taking time off to come and support the charity event. The entrance fee is RM100 with one free drink.
Joy said this is the third event they are organising to save the strays.
She said that the first event was held in 2014 at Resort World Langkawi where over 30 bands and musicians performed. They collected over RM40,000, which went to LASSie.
The next event was held in 2018 at Tom Dick & Harry’s in Bangsar South. There they made about RM53,000.
Joy said the money collected went to an animal shelter in Kuala Selangor to build 29 kennels for 50 dogs, dog food, medication and neutering. – July 14, 2024.
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