Still A Very Uphill Task

I received an email from a student recently and she was trying very hard to get her educational institution to be kinder to the dogs and cats who live within the campus. But all her efforts failed. Being young and idealistic (weren’t we all there too, once upon a time?), I could empathise with her frustrations.

In my reply, I had to bring her to reality and since she is a student, I felt she would be able to understand how our federal laws (let alone the council by-laws) work and why animal lovers who are fighting so hard for the very survival of street animals face such difficulty.

For those who are interested, the Animal Welfare Bill of 2015 was gazetted by parliament on 29th December 2015 but nobody knows when it might be finally enforced.

https://www.cljlaw.com/files/bills/pdf/2015/MY_FS_BIL_2015_19.pdf  (you might be interested in reading the preamble at the very beginning (which encompasses the spirit of the Act, ie. “ownership of animals”),  as well as Sections 29-33).

But it’s still not in force, so what we have now, in force, is the Animal Act of 1953 with its amendments.

Here are the documents available on the internet:

The Animal Act 1953 (Act 647 of the Laws of Malaysia): http://www.mvc.gov.my/doc_downloads/AnimalsAct1953.pdf  (you might want to read up on Section 44 regarding penalty for cruelty to animals; there are seven cruelties listed).

Note paragraph (3) above on destruction of animals for food.

The penalty for cruelty to animals was amended in 2013:
http://www.mvc.gov.my/doc_downloads/Animal_Amendment_Act_2013.pdf (please see article 38, Amendment to Section 44)

Now, besides the Animal Act of 1953, there is, unfortunately, also Act 154, which is The Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act of 1975:
http://www.mbi.gov.my/sites/default/files/akta_penghapusan_serangga_pembawa_penyakit.pdf (please see Part 1, para (2))

While the title of the act refers to “insects”, as defined in the first part:

Paragraph (2) says:

The above might shed some light on why street animals are being treated in the current manner by those in power.

With the above knowledge, it appears that amendments to certain laws may be necessary in order to protect street animals. While many people are waiting eagerly for the Animal Welfare Bill 2015 to be enforced simply because it covers more areas of cruelty (Section 29) and imposes a heavier penalty on perpetrators, please note that even when that happens, Act 154 is still applicable. In order to make any amendments to any law, a politician has to make the necessary proposal to parliament. Is there any politician who is interested to pursue animal protection matters and propose amendments to the existing laws? If you can find one, perhaps you may want to try to lobby for better protection of street animals. But do be careful of empty promises and backlashes, please. Whatever you do, please always think of the safety of the animals.

Meanwhile, let us “little people” here do the needful: Get as many as possible street animals neutered. We offer aid: myanimalcare.org/aid/.

Source: https://myanimalcare.org/2017/06/21/still-a-very-uphill-task..

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AnimalCare is a registered society that promotes caregiving to street animals and helps in their neutering and medical needs. AnimalCare has a Medical Fund, Food Fund and Education Fund.

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