28-05-2025
UTM's student-led cat neutering drive tackles stray surge
JOHOR BARU: Nineteen stray cats were neutered under a student-driven initiative at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), which was aimed at controlling the surging feline population on campus.
The Catch-Neuter-Return (CNR) campaign was organised by UTM's Language Academy, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.
The academy's student Lokman Hafiz Asary, who is also the programme director said the campaign dubbed Snip to Save Paw-sitive, was launched in response to a spike in abandoned and pregnant cats spotted across UTM grounds.
The CNR campaign, backed by Language Academy chair Professor Madya Dr Hadina Habil, is part of a larger corporate social responsibility programme to educate the UTM community about responsible animal welfare.
Commenting on recent cases of animal abuse on campus grounds nationwide, Lokman said neutering alone may not stop such cruelty, but it is a crucial first step in tackling stray overpopulation, - a key trigger in many abuse incidents.
"At UTM, our programme goes beyond population control. It raises awareness, educates communities, and fosters a culture of empathy and responsibility," he said.
UTM's holistic approach, he added, creates safer spaces for animals, while it reflects UTM's broader mission to humanise individuals through compassion, ethical conduct, and social responsibility.
"Feeding and neutering alone will not fix this. It's our duty to educate the students that overpopulation of stray cats on campus grounds could lead to culling and abuse," Lokman said.
He also founded the LA Pawrents, a WhatsApp group that sparked the project.
The group of student volunteers began by mapping out unneutered cats, with a focus on females.
They were trained to identify signs of prior sterilisation before trapping the animals.
The cats were then transported to Noah's Ark Animal Clinic for the procedure, in collaboration with Noah's Ark Natural Animal Shelter.
Beyond the neutering exercise, awareness sessions and poster campaigns were held to sensitise the campus to the needs and rights of stray animals.
A workshop titled "Young Creators: Using AI & Canva to create children's Books" was also organised to introduce creative ways to embed animal welfare messages into children's media.
"This is not a one-man show. We need the community to step up," Lokman said.
