There Is Hope Yet For Street Dogs, Cats

THOSE GOING TO MEET THE MINISTER MUST ENSURE TO TALK FACTS. THEY MUST BE ABLE TO CONVEY ACCURATE INFORMATION. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE MINISTER, I FELT THAT HE BELIEVED ALL STREET ANIMALS WERE FORMER PETS. THIS IS NOT TRUE. STOP PEDDLING THIS MISLEADING INFO AS IT MAY ONLY RESULT IN RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON PET OWNERSHIP INSTEAD OF TACKLING THE REAL ISSUE…

https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/citycism/2023/05/20/there-is-hope-yet-for-street-dogs-cats

There is hope yet for street dogs, cats

By WANI MUTHIAH

CITYCISM

Saturday, 20 May 2023

Arrangements are apparently underway for several animal welfare groups to meet up with Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming to discuss the management of street animals.

This is a very good turn of events as the minister had said that he was prepared to meet these organisations and hear them out.

If the groups can put forward good reasons as to why the conventional catch-and-cull method must be done away with, then there is a good chance the indiscriminate catching and killing of street dogs by local authorities will stop.

They must also convince the minister and justify why the Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage (TNRM) method to manage stray animals is the way forward.

Under this system, street dogs and cats are caught, neutered, vaccinated as well as marked before being released at the same spot where they were first caught.

Many countries around the world have opted for this humane method of stray management, with several in Europe successfully ridding their streets of unwanted stray dogs and cats.

But the big question looming ahead now is whether our animal welfare groups are able to come up with a succinct and factual argument to convince not only the minister but also other top-ranking officials from the relevant agencies.

Currently, those who are very emotionally charged say the well-being of street animals should be on par with human well-being.

Recently, a new emerging “animal activist” told me that if unwanted animals were being put down, the same must be done for humans deemed no longer useful.

Putting forward such an argument to the minister, as well as other decision-makers, will immediately slam the door on all efforts to broker a better deal for street animals.

Hardcore animal activists must accept the fact that humans matter more than animals. An argument that states otherwise will only result in them being dismissed as lunatics and denied the chance to speak up.

Then, there are also animal welfare organisations, in spite of being around for decades, that still do not understand the different categories of street animals, especially dogs.

Their approach is always merely getting pet owners to neuter their dogs for population control, which may result in the minister and decision-makers assuming and misunderstanding that all street animals are abandoned pets.

This approach of targeting only pets is actually an easy way out that will definitely not solve the problem related to street animal management regardless of all the hype created by these organisations.

A sincere and serious effort to objectively and positively contribute towards street dog management would be to go down to the streets to catch, neuter and release.

Those advocating and professing to be active players in countering street animal population must also educate themselves on where these animals came from to avoid misleading relevant parties that these unfortunate animals are all abandoned pets.

Street dogs, especially those that are feral and semi-feral, end up on the streets after the fragmentation of plantations and clearing of forests and jungles.

These are from the Malaysian Telomian breed, which used to live in the wild, which are synonymous with pointed ears and small lithe bodies.

Then there are the friendlier dogs abandoned by contractors and developers after their housing projects are completed. They make up the bulk of dogs roaming in neighbourhoods.

There are also dogs from farms that wander away and end up in towns and cities where it is easier to find food.

Most farms do not have dog-proof fencing and more often than not, the animals stray away.

In order to ensure a continued “supply” of the canines, most dogs at farms and construction sites are not neutered or spayed.

And then there is the small percentage of abandoned pets.

These are rather few as generally former pets, unless young, strong and strapping, cannot last long and end up as road kill or killed by other street dogs in fights for food and territory.

The authorities must, on their part, remove dogs from the local councils’ vector list as well as ease up on the commercialisation of dog catching – meaning private pest control companies must not be commissioned to catch street dogs.

They must also comprehend that suggesting for street dogs to be caught, neutered and stuffed into shelters is a non-sustainable move.

Many shelters are already struggling due to lack of funds.

There are also many individuals whose lives have turned into sheer hell due to their desperation to save street animals from the dog catchers’ noose.

The dogs are more often than not hoarded in their homes, which become filthy and rundown.

Many of these kindhearted people have also ended up literally alone and destitute after their families walk out on them due to the hoarding of animals in their homes.

There are also a generous number of desperate animal rescuers who suffer from serious mental health issues, among other ailments.

A few years ago, a young rescuer who lived in a rented house with her rescues committed suicide and it was suspected to be due to depression.

The founder of animal sanctuary Furry Friends Farm Sabrina Yeap was so involved in managing her few hundred animals that she failed to notice that she was gravely ill.

Yeap was unaware that she had leukaemia and was on the verge of collapse when she was taken to hospital and admitted by one of her volunteers.

Unfortunately, she died just a few hours after admission. The incident happened about a decade ago.

The organisations that will meet the minister and relevant authorities must also remind themselves to not be self-serving and to temporarily set aside their personal agendas.

Besides ensuring not to convey misleading information, they must also drive home the message that by advocating a more humane stray management method as well as to eradicate catching and culling, the government will also be saving many human lives and preserving their sanity.

Here’s wishing them good luck as well as hoping Nga will take the matter seriously and stop all unnecessary culling of poor street dogs.



Arrangements are apparently underway for several animal welfare groups to meet up with Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming to discuss the management of street animals.

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/citycism/2023/..

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Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better is a canine welfare programme initiated by non-profit organisation Community Development and Integration Initiative (CDII).

MDDB's main activities revolve around rescuing dogs from the local council pounds as well as off the streets. Once they have been rescued, the dogs are vaccinated and neutered before being put up for adoption.

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