Negri's policy on strays needs a rethink

The Star

5 days ago

THE decision by Negri Sembilan state assembly, endorsed by all 36 assemblymen, sanctioning the culling of street dogs has sparked concern among animal rights advocates and concerned citizens.
The voices of protest are louder than those in favour of the decision, and the state authorities ought to take heed of this.
Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said his administration was left with no other option to address issues of disturbance and safety caused by the free-roaming canines.
The decision, he said, had to be taken as the issue had been repeatedly raised and that gave an impression that his team was not doing anything to address it.
Aminuddin promised that the stray dogs would only be euthanised if unclaimed from the pound after their capture.
Animal welfare groups, however, want the authorities to consider other options to better manage the stray population.
While acknowledging cases where aggressive animals pose risks to public safety, they said culling should not be an option.
With no proper SOP in place, activists fear the state government's decision would give enforcement agencies free rein to cull all strays.
They also claimed inconsistencies in Aminuddin's announcement as he had initially said only aggressive strays with a history of attacking the public would be put to sleep.
Animal rights groups said the Negri Sembilan government should shelve the move while waiting for the outcome of proposals submitted to Housing and Local Government Ministry on managing the stray dog population.
It should be noted that there are countries which have resorted to culling strays, particularly the animals that were known to have diseases such as rabies.
On the other hand, there are also countries that completely prohibit the killing of street dogs and have adopted more humane measures such as spaying and neutering, sheltering them in pounds and promoting adoption.
India, for example, has taken the fertility control route rather than culling, and its stray population has reduced.
In North America, fertility control has had similar effectiveness over a 20-year period.
These statistics, animal rights groups say, show that it is better to control than to kill.
Animal welfare groups are asking that they be allowed to manage the issue via the trap-neuter-release (TNR) programme which they claim is the most effective method.
They say it takes a minimum of five years for the programme to yield results and that non- governmental organisations should be given time to prove this.
It is learned that the TNR programme in Seremban was only launched in 2023.
The groups say they are also financially strained and depend heavily on public donations to cover expenses.
For example Furrykids Safehaven, which houses some 2,000 strays in Rantau, claims it needs an average RM130,000 a month to run the shelter.
More than half the expenses goes to buying 1,200 bags of kibbles − which cost some RM72,000 − for the dogs, followed by salaries for its 11 workers and veterinary bills, which come up to another RM50,000.
Volunteers help catch strays for the TNR programme and feed them after they are released, at no cost to the state.
To the people who have cared and continue to care for these voiceless animals, the decision by the authorities seems inhumane.
We should perhaps take a page from other nations.
The Netherlands, now virtually free of stray dogs, adopted a nationwide sterilisation programme in 1996.
Homes were found for more than a million dogs without a single one being put to sleep.
Another effective policy by the Dutch government was to impose heavy taxes on purchasing pets from stores, which eventually led people to adopt fur babies from shelters instead.
Remember Kopi, the playful stray dog shot dead in Besut, Terengganu, during a culling operation?
There are tens of thousands like Kopi all over Malaysia.
A society is judged not by how it treats its strongest, but by how it cares for those who cannot fight back.
The state government must return to the drawing board and come up with a policy that balances public health and safety with humane considerations.
Surely, man's best friend deserves better.