Once again our local councils have proven to be completely inhumane and unprofessional in their conduct by killing the dogs that were at the farm in Sg Gadung.
I personally believe that the move to cull the animals by the district officers was completely unjustified and I am still reeling with shock and horror from having read about this gruesome killings.
These poor animals were probably in a heightened state of anxiety from being 'abandoned' and I am sure that they have not been cared for properly since the arrest of the two lawyer brothers.
Their aggression could have purely been due to hunger, and in order to survive these dogs would have had no choice but to 'hunt' for their food.
Additionally, the recent events at the farm where a whole host of unfamiliar people were present combing the area for clues and evidence would have also put the animals in a highly stressed environment. The dogs may have been trying to protect their territory which is perfectly normal and this would have therefore been misconstrued as 'aggression' by the district officers.
The district officers in my opinion were in no position to determine whether or not the dogs were in fact aggressive and beyond rehabilitation as I am sure they are not experts in animal behaviour.
The SPCA or the Department of Veterinary Services should definitely have been called in to assess the situation before such drastic measures were taken. Surely the Kuala Langat District Council's actions must be deemed as gross cruelty towards these helpless animals?
Having worked for an international animal shelter (The Mayhew Animal Home in London) over the last two years, I am highly disturbed by the fact that Malaysia seems to always be in the news (even internationally) for cases such as this - where animals are treated in the most despicable and inhumane manner.
Is this the view that we would like to present to the world? That we are an uncaring and abusive society?
I would like to call upon the government to review the laws and legislations with regards to animal welfare and impose stiffer and heavier penalties to those who abuse animals, and on those who abuse their powers when it comes to the handling of animals.
As Mahatma Gandhi once said 'the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated'. I think it is clear that Malaysia is still a long way away from being a great nation with high morals.
Note: This letter was printed in Malaysiakini yesterday.
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