Department of Veterinary Services outdated about dogs: Anthony Thanasayan - malay mail

'WHY NOT EAT DOGS?'

Darshini Kandasamy
Friday, March 12th, 2010 12:14:00

Eating dogs

PETALING JAYA: Despite public furore, Veterinary Services Department (DVS) deputy directorgeneral, Datuk Dr Ahmad Suhaimi Omar, is sticking by his suggestion last week that stray dogs held at pounds be sold for human consumption — as a method of stray management.

While acknowledging it was a "sensitive" statement, the DVS deputy DG in charge of veterinary health, told The Malay Mail his words were unnecessarily 'sensationalised'.

He insisted that the suggestion would create a "win-win" situation, explaining that stray dogs captured are now kept for seven days — and humanely euthanised if the dogs remained unclaimed after the week.

"Once the dog is caught and nobody claims it, what do you suggest we do? If people want to consume (dogs), why not let them?

"We have to pay for euthanasia as it has to be done professionally by a veterinarian. In any case, who are we to euthanise any animal?" posed Dr Ahmad.

If the slaughter of an animal is for the purpose of consumption, Dr Ahmad argued that "in principle, most religions would basically allow the slaughter".

Still, he pointed out that he was not asking people to just eat dog meat. He argued that foreigners like the Vietnamese and Koreans consume dog meat; and understood this was a sensitive issue for Malaysian culture and standards.

"We should not impose our values onto others. If you cannot eat dog meat, you cannot stop me from taking it. Like pork, for example. I cannot eat it but I cannot stop you from eating it.

"This is how we have been able to live harmoniously in Malaysia. We have to be open. It is an individual decision, if others want to eat it, it is up to them."

Stating he was merely throwing in the idea, he told The Paper That Cares: "I knew it was sensitive, I purposely said it. It was high time to say it. The NGOs are all against it and I know the dog is a pet to most of us."

Even a farmer, who has raised his cattle lovingly would not be willing to eat the animal when slaughtered, he noted.

"I do stress that if the dogs are to be slaughtered, it must then be done properly and there should be no cruelty at all."

Dr Ahmad also claimed that while there were a few people who objected to his suggestion at the forum on effective animal pound management, organised by the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council Canine Advisory Team on March 2, he felt the body language of many there suggested they were "excited" by his words.

The suggestion to sell caught stray dogs for consumption will help ease the system and reduce the council's problem.

"Let this be a lesson to pet owners to not let their dogs stray. It is a matter of responsible pet ownership. We have to educate pet owners, but this will take a long time."

HOWLING IN HORROR OVER STATEMENTS

KUALA LUMPUR: Animal lovers are up in arms over the suggestion by Department of Veterinary Services' top man condoning the slaughter of stray dogs for human consumption.

Describing the suggestion as barbaric, the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is now demanding that Veterinary Services Department (DVS) deputy director-general (veterinary health) Datuk Dr Ahmad Suhaimi Omar retract this suggestion.

Visibly upset, SPCA chaiman Christine Chin told The Malay Mail that SPCA was extremely disappointed with Dr Ahmad’s suggestion — especially in view of his position as the “number two or three person in DVS, who should be promoting humane, sustainable, effective and acceptable solutions to the stray problem".

THANASAYAN: Dr Ahmad's statement shows how out of touch the DVS is

“He is not a nobody,” Chin pointed out. "As a possible DVS director-general candidate, he is supposed to be protecting the animals.

He is in charge of prosecuting people who are cruel to animals.”

While she felt Dr Ahmad did make some good suggestions during the March 2 forum on effective animal pound management, Chin described the dog meat suggestion as having thrown DVS back to the dark ages and undermined every bit of good DVS had ever done, especially in drafting its 2008 guidelines on humane dog-catching methods.

Stating that Dr Ahmad's suggestion was "barbaric, inhumane, provocative, unbelievable and incredulous", she said:

“We are a society that doesn’t eat dogs. It is not a custom in Malaysia.

"Even in China, animal lovers have banded together to seek legal amendments to ban the consumption of dogs and cats. In Taiwan, it is illegal. What about cats?”

CHIN: Calls Dr Ahmad's suggestion 'barbaric, inhumane, provocative, unbelievable and incredulous.'

Meanwhile, Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy society for the disabled and elderly (Petpositive) president, Anthony Thanasayan, described Dr Ahmad’s suggestion as “misplaced and terribly insensitive.”


He said the suggestion only reflected how out of touch DVS was.


“That he thinks dogs are only good as food on the table shows what he thinks of the role animals have been playing in our society, especially today.“


Dr Ahmad must remember that if a building falls down and he gets caught in the rubble, it is not a chicken that will come to save him.


He would have to rely on the dog he suggests we eat.” He said dogs are loving and play a positive role such as saving people’s lives and helping those in need of therapy.


Noting sarcastically that Dr Ahmad may have felt he was being clever, Thanasayan said the suggestion was purely a cerebral statement and not from the heart.


“Whatever he was trying or hoping to do, it did not work… he might as well ask us to eat our children.”


Thanasayan also pointed out that dogs from the pounds often carried disease and no one would want to or should eat such meat.

CommentsOk... So, how about this suggestion: Since we have a problem with criminals and also illegal immigrants languishing in prisons, why don't our Govt. propose that "human meat: for those who love the other white meat" should be the next course as a way to stop such people from taxing our country's kindness... Like what the D-G of the DVS mentioned, this is a more "humane way" and will cost the M'sian taxpayers less than feeding such ingrates...


yeah, we can eat the cats as well. sell it to the vietnamese and we might get something as well from it. a cat farm? great idea to push the economy. haii...people just are dumb. people are moving forwards and sadly, there are soem who is moving backwards. wonder how he can becomes a vet when he is not an animal lover. euthanised after 7 days? hope the owner wil not be going around the whole kl pound and in 7 days, the dog is gone. a typical statement of a lazy but arrogant government officer.....

Submitted by Kenny Lim on Friday, March 12th, 2010.

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