KOTA KINABALU – Kota Kinabalu City Hall is set to amend its present policy and by-laws on stray dogs after a district-wide catching operation came under fire from local animal lover groups.
City hall stated that it has obtained a total of 617 reports in 2021 and 263 reports up until May 23 this year in relation to issues involving stray dogs such as noisy barking, dumpster-diving and attacks on the public.
In jest, Kota Kinabalu Mayor Datuk Noorliza Awang Alip admitted that the popularity of city hall has surged after ordering the directive, which led to the review of the city’s by-law on the registration and control of the animals.
“Initially, we had collaborated with the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for the trap, neuter, and release initiative.
“But we found when the dogs are returned to their places, the dogs continue to create similar mess.
“And this is why we had to review our policy after (the stray dog operations were conducted),” she told reporters here today.
As such, Noorliza said her officers had also sought the views of the Veterinary Department and would call a meeting to present their new plan to all non-governmental groups for deliberation.
She also expressed her gratitude to kind individuals who came forward to feed the strays, but pointed out that their actions also contributed to certain areas becoming unclean.
Currently, the city hall dog pound can only house up to 20 dogs at a time, Noorliza said, adding that city hall officers were forced to put the animals up for adoption to avoid overcrowding the pound.
Noorliza also dismissed allegations that city hall officers had abandoned captured stray dogs at the local landfill in Kayu Madang, Tuaran following an internal probe over such allegations.
She also proposed that the NGOs organise awareness campaigns to deal with the stigma against stray dogs among the local community, as most of the issues have stemmed from the cultural and religious backgrounds of the communities. – The Vibes, June 10, 2022
