Friday, February 12, 2010

HOLIDAY WEEKEND VIEW: A NEW ERA IN ANIMAL WELFARE AND RIGHTS IN MALAYSIA

PETPOSITIVE NEWS:

DATELINE MPK KLANG: 

The movement for animal rights and welfare in Malaysia took a significant step forward with the formation of a brand new committee called CAT in the Majlis Perbandaran Klang or MPK recently.

This was announced at a major press conference that was held at the MPK last Wednesday.
 

CAT which stands for Canine Advisory Team comprises experts from the health division of the local government, the department of veterinary services (DVS) of Malaysia and several animal concern nongovernmental organisations.

The NGOs who make up CAT are the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PETPOSITIVE), Save-A-Stray (SAS) and the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to  Animals (SPCA). 

CAT is also represented by Mrs Pat Lim, an individual and expert animal rescuer and resident from Klang.  

The committee is headed by Anthony SB Thanasayan who is also the head of Petaling Jaya City Council's own CAT team.

A number of positive changes have already gone into effect, particularly in the pound at Northport, since the CAT team was established in MPK.


"The pound is clean and washed down at least four times a day," pointed out Jacqueline Tsang from SAS. 



Pat Lim said she is overwhelmed by the support that MPK has been giving to the dogs under their care. 

"The canines are always wagging their tails happily when approached by the kennel care staff which shows that the caretakers are kind to the animals," she observed.

"If they are not; the animals would cower in fear," she added.

Pat is in charge of the pound site from the NGO side.

Shenaaz Khan who is Acting Secretary of Petpositive said she is happy that MPK has temporarily shelved catching dogs with collars (that belong to owners) and nabbing strays at night.

A major reason for this consideration is to prevent overcrowding at the pound.

"Why invite unnecessary problems at this time when the pound is currently not able to handle more dogs?" She explained. 

Puppies will no longer be caught by the MPK unless under special circumstances that cannot be avoided from complaints received from the residents. 

Diseased dogs that are caught will be taken straight to the local DVS and put down. Only a veterinarian or a veterinary assistant who is trained in administrating euthanasia will do this.

The situation in the pound will be monitored regularly. These will be done by the top level MPK officers from the health department, representatives from the DVS as well as CAT members headed by Mrs Pat Lim.

Cooked food is provided by the SPCA on Tuesdays and Fridays. The MPK van is used to collect the food twice a week. 

There is always need for volunteers and donations of dog food. If you think you can help, kindly contact Pat at 016 656 8997 or aNt at 012 220 3146.

All dogs (and puppies) at the MPK pound may be adopted free of charge by anyone. Owners of canines may collect their pets once they settle their fines for allowing their dogs to roam the streets.

CAT from MPK side are Encik Zakaria and Cik Aina who are led by Encik Zulkifly Abbas, the Acting Director of Health.


Kindly feel free to forward this message to anyone whom you think may be able to help our hapless canines.

Pictures courtesy by MPK, MBPJ & SPCA.

More details on the MPK pound


Thank you!

PET+BLOGSPOT       



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