KUALA PILAH – A family in Ulu Beting here is living in fear following the presence of a panther in front of their house, last week.
Rusmazaiti Kamarulzaman, 31, said she and her husband, Abdul Mizan Mohd Haris, 42, were at home when they heard dogs barking.
According to reports in Utusan Malaysia, when they looked outside, they saw a black animal, like a panther, trying to pull a puppy from under a 4WD vehicle parked nearby.
“We threw some firecrackers at the panther but it did not run away, instead it continued to tug at the puppy, before biting it and carrying it into the nearby jungle.
“We immediately called 999 for help and early this morning a team from the Civil Defence Department (APM) and police arrived. They told us to spend the night elsewhere for our safety as they feared the panther was still nearby,” she said.
Rusmazaiti said four days earlier, a dog that used to look after their farm also went missing, followed by another dog recently.
However, she said she never suspected that the missing dogs were taken away by a panther, though they spotted the animal about a month ago at night.
“We have been staying here for about two years after my husband retired from the army. We have heard about the existence of the panther from other residents who said it has to date never bothered any of them,” she said.
She said the Negri Sembilan Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) had also set up traps and also surveyed the area.
“I hope the animal is caught soon as we are worried about our safety, especially for our two young children,” she added. – The Vibes, September 11, 2023
