KUALA LUMPUR – An animal rights group has threatened legal action against the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) and relevant authorities over a recent incident recorded in a viral video that saw a stray dog bleeding from its mouth.
Lawyers for Animal Rights representative Rajesh Nagarajan said the group has sent a letter of demand to the council and the Veterinary Services department seeking investigations to be carried out over the incident in Klang on Saturday.
He said the group has given seven days to the authorities to respond to their letter or they will sue the latter for misfeasance or wrongful exercise of authority.
Rajesh also said the group has lodged a police report, but authorities had yet to respond to the incident involving the “atrocious” capturing of at least two stray dogs by council workers, which has gone viral on social media.
“We are pursuing this (case) because we are confident that no action will be taken,” he told an online press conference this afternoon.
“We want this issue to be blown up as much as possible to create awareness among the public that such brutal and barbaric acts have occurred.”
A short video of the incident stretching less than two minutes made its rounds on social media, showing the rough handling of a stray dog.
Warning: this footage may be disturbing to certain audiences.
The video showed at least three men, who appeared to be MPK workers, violently capturing the canine before loading it into a van.
According to a press release by the animal rights group, the workers had torturously strangled, yanked, and dragged the dog by its neck with a catchpole.
Onlookers filmed the ordeal in which the dog struggled until it began bleeding profusely from the mouth due to the forceful strangulation and yanking by the animal catchers.
An eyewitness who attended the press conference said the workers had ignored the pleas of the onlookers for the dog to be released.
The eyewitness also said a worker had acted even more aggressively with the dog as onlookers begged him to release the canine.
Rajesh said the incident should be investigated under the Animal Welfare Act.
“They acted brutally and not in accordance with procedure. It’s very clear that they did not follow standard operating procedures.
“Under normal circumstances in another country, the council will censure them (errant officers) and take disciplinary action. If it involved a criminal act, police reports would be made.”
“Now it’s also clear that the MPK officers have committed criminal acts under the Animal Welfare Act and the Penal Code.
“So it is incumbent upon MPK to lodge police reports against these individuals who tortured this poor dog.”
Rajesh also said the Selangor government should take action against MPK over the incident, adding that the government’s Animal Welfare Board had been “useless” in attending to this case.
“What is the use of having an animal board when animals are being tortured (by authorities) in the country?”
“We have so many government stakeholders who are sitting by idly, twiddling their thumbs and doing nothing while animals are being tortured.” – The Vibes, August 15, 2022
