Task force for island dogs
RESCUE: SPCA workers carrying one of the stray dogs they managed to save at the Selat Kering island.
After the Ketam dog issue was highlighted by the media, the Klang Municipal Council met with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), animal rights activists, members of the public and elected representatives to discuss immediate action to solve the issue.
The meeting was chaired by councillor Datuk Abdul Ghani Pateh Akhir and involved Kapar MP'S. Manikavasagam and Klang Selat State assemblymen Dr Halimah Ali, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Furry Friends Farm (FFF), Save A Stray (SAS) and the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).
Also present were animal activists, representatives from the Hulu Selangor Municipal Council and Petaling Jaya Municipal Council.
SAS founder Jacqueline Tsang was vocal during the two-and-a-half hour meeting, calling for immediate action by the council and urging for a joint effort from all relevant parties to help bring an end to the misery of some 1,100 stray dogs on islands near Pulau Ketam.
She also provided guidelines that included the feeding of strays on the island.
All representatives provided their input and PJ councillor Anthony Thanasayan even offered to help the Klang council solve the issue.
There was heated discussion and disagreement over the importance of feeding the strays. Finally, they decided to form a special task force which would include NGOs, members of the public and council representatives to look into the feeding of the strays.
The SPCA was assigned to lead the programme, which would be assisted by other NGOs.
The FFF and the Klang council would work together to trap and catch the stranded dogs.
The third part of the plan was to ensure that all dogs from the island would undergo sterilisation to be carried out by the DVS.
SAS will be in charge of finding new homes for the dogs.
Last week, it was reported that stray dogs were left to fend for themselves on the uninhabited Pulau Selat Kering and had resorted to eating each other to survive.
This was the gruesome finding of the SPCA, animal inspectors and SAS founder Tsang when they visited the island off Pulau Ketam.
(Special note from Petpositive: Assistant Secretary of Petpositive Shenaaz Khan was also present at the meeting. She raised the important issue of accountability of funds into the Pulau Ketam stray dog project, among others.)
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