THE Selangor government will review its approach to catching stray dogs in the state following public outrage, which included a strong rebuke from Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, said state local government exco Ng Suee Lim.
The Shah Alam Municipal Council (MBSA) decision to “catch and kill” stray canines in Setia Alam later this month saw Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin call on the local authority to take a more humane approach.
“The Selangor government will review the catch-and-kill approach being used now that created controversy.
“An excellent suggestion by Her Royal Highness to expand the use of spaying and preparing more shelters for strays in certain residential areas as well as to get cooperation from residents and animal lovers to create a more loving and civilised community,” Ng was quoted as saying by news portal Malaysiakini.
It was reported recently that MBSA was planning a task force to catch and kill 500 stray dogs in the area. It even proposed rewarding volunteers with RM30 for each dog caught during the exercise from April 22 to 24.
According to MBSA’s notice of the operation, dogs caught cannot be claimed and will be brought to the council’s animal shelter to be killed.
Following backlash from animal lovers and rescue groups, MBSA said that the dogs will be sent to the Paws Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) where they will be kept for a length of time to be claimed.
In a statement posted on the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page yesterday, the Tengku Permaisuri said she was saddened to read about the council’s plans to catch street dogs in the state.
“I have stressed many times that I disagree with the ‘catch and kill’ method and believe there are many other ways we can use to curb this problem.
“As the Royal Patron of the Stray Free Selangor (SFS) campaign run by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), I want the authorities to detail a new and more holistic approach in managing stray dogs,” she said.
She said she had previously suggested that efforts to preserve the welfare and reduce the number of abandoned animals be intensified, through the Create Caring and Compassionate Communities (CCC) campaign.
She said local councils could also adopt animal birth control or a “trap-neuter-release” initiatives, where dogs within a community or district are sterilised and then released back to their territories, resulting in a population decline.
She also proposed reviewing a circular issued by the Local Government and Housing Ministry in 2014, which outlines the SOPs for the capturing and disposing of stray dogs, to be more relevant to the current best practices.
The current circular requires captured stray dogs to be kept for two days, while licensed dogs must be held for seven days before the animals are culled by injection. – April 2, 2024.
