Ipoh First To Run Stray Animal Population Control Plan

IPOH: The city is set to be the first in Malaysia to run a “Trap, Neuter, Microchip, Release” programme to control the stray animal population.

A six-month trial run will begin on April 1, with the consent of the city council, said Ipoh Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) president Ricky Soong.

During the trial run, he said ISPCA would catch, neuter and put microchips on some 500 stray dogs before releasing them back into the area where they were caught.

“The microchip will contain information about the animal and its carer, be it from NGOs or individual volunteers.

“To mark the animals as neutered, they would have part of their ears snipped, given a collar and a dog tag,” he said.

The information would be stored in ISPCA’s database.

Soong said the dogs would not be released in Malay villages, tourist spots or near schools.

However, he acknowledged that there could be other residents who may not be pleased that the strays were released back into their neighbourhoods.

“I would like to urge them to show some compassion and understanding.”