Manage Strays, Don’t Kill Them
Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better 
Dec 10, 2022 
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Manage strays, don’t kill them
By WANI MUTHIAH
CITYCISM
Saturday, 10 Dec 2022
THE local authorities must stop the practice of brutally catching and culling street dogs.
Not only is this practice cruel, it is also expensive, unsustainable and most importantly, fails to resolve the problem.
Instead of reducing the number of street dogs, they have increased manifold.
Not only has this practice failed to deliver the desired results, it is akin to throwing taxpayers’ money down a bottomless pit.
The authorities’ brutal handling of street dogs also has other repercussions.
The situation has created many hoarders who take the dogs into their homes because they desperately want to protect them from dog catchers.
They can’t conceive of any other way to help them because independent shelters are maxed out while some of the older and established ones are more hype than action.
There have been occasions where these good-hearted but emotionally unstable people ended up on the streets themselves.
One homeless woman who has since passed away used to live with rescued dogs in her car during the day and on the five-foot way at night.
On social media, it’s common to see daily appeals for food, rental and utility payments from many rescuers whom I fear will eventually go down the same route as that woman.
Most have no jobs, nor any savings. Some are cut off from their families and loved ones because of the many animals they have.
Some of these rescuers spend all their time and energy, literally begging for money to “bail out” dogs from local council pounds.
These dogs are usually those that have been neutered and fully vaccinated by independent rescuers.
And of course, there are also the unscrupulous ones who see this as an opportunity to make a quick buck.
Recently there was a case of a so-called rescue group that had created fake identities.
To exploit public sympathy, the group, masterminded by a husband and wife, had created a fake persona of an old lady who supposedly saved almost 100 dogs from the dog catchers and kept them at home.
Using fake pictures of “rescued dogs”, they managed to collect a sizeable amount before they were busted.
Meanwhile, the stray population booms and local councils’ action of rounding up street animals is intensifying.
Cases of animal brutality by dog catchers often get public attention but nothing much happens to improve the situation.
It’s usually forgotten until the next brouhaha takes place.
It is high time local councils reassess how they handle street animals.
The only way this can be changed is for the new Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming to step in.
If you are reading this, Mr Minister, please push the local authorities to adopt the trap-neuter-return-manage (TNRM) method which has helped several developed countries handle their street animal populations effectively.
Many independent rescuers and some rescue groups practise this method and there is also a group dedicated to neutering street animals called TNRM Malaysia.
With the TNRM method, animals are sterilised, returned to their original locations and managed by rescuers and the public.
It should be explained to those who oppose TRNM that public money spent on catching street dogs can be put to better use, such as battling dengue and leptospirosis.
There is a much better way to save canine lives and lessen the burden on rescuers if only local council policies on stray animal management could be changed.
I am an animal rescuer and together with my rescue partners, we currently have more than 400 dogs in our care.
Mr Minister, I would be happy to provide you with the necessary data on TNRM towards effecting this change.
Better approach needed as local councils’ current policy not sustainable.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/citycism/2022/..
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