THE Terengganu Veterinary Services Department (JPV) confirmed the deaths of several cats which were found at the Air Tawar Beach Recreation Centre, Besut, were due to poisoning.
State JPV director, Dr Anun Man, said that although his department had not received an official report on the discovery of the carcasses, officers were sent to the location for investigation after pictures were uploaded on social media last Saturday.
He said that an investigation conducted by JPV officers at the location last Saturday found that all the cat carcasses had been disposed of.
However, he said that one cat carcass was found when JPV officers went to the location last Sunday.
"We have conducted a post-mortem to take samples and send them to the laboratory to identify the cause of death of the animal.
"Based on initial reports, we do not rule out the deaths were due to poison ingestion," he told Berita Harian.
Dr Anun said this when commenting on the discovery of about seven cats suspected of being poisoned at the recreation centre area, last Saturday.
It is understood that the cats found dead were not kept by individuals but were stray animals.
Dr Anun reminded the public not to abuse domestic or wild animals.
He said that the act of abusing and poisoning animals is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2015 and the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.
"Individuals convicted of an offence can be fined between RM5,000 and not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisoned for up to one year or both," he said. – February 17, 2026
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