Dr Xavier Working On A First Centralised Pound In Malaysia

RM5 million centralised state-run pound in the works

G Vinod | December 27, 2011

Project by Selangor government a stepping stone towards better treatment of stray animals but its detractors say it may create more problems for the animals.

PETALING JAYA: The Selangor state government will be the first state in Malaysia to have its own centralised pound to house stray animals.
Petaling Jaya City Hall (MBPJ) councillor Anthony Thanasayan said the pound would come under the purview of state exco Dr Xavier Jeyakumar.

It will be managed by experts from the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) once it is completed next year.

“Not only will the pound house captured stray animals, it will also serve as a place to educate people on responsible pet ownership and serve as an adoption centre,” said Thanasayan.

Thanasayan is also the founder of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

Jeyakumar, meanwhile, told FMT that the RM5 million pound project was mooted after a series of discussions with major local councils in Selangor.

Among those involved in the project are MBPJ, Shah Alam City Hall (MBSA), Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) and Klang Municipal Council (MPK).

Xavier said they were in the midst of discussing details of the budget and the location for the pound which was announced in October during the Animal Day celebrations at the MBPJ hall.

Lauding the project, Thanasayan said the pound would change the way stray animals are treated as they would be tended to by experts from the DVS.

“With no proper pounds, councils like MBPJ has to send its captured strays to privately funded animal shelters like PAWS. We even pay RM20 per animal to the shelter.

“With a centralised pound, we will have the infrastructure and facilities to handle stray animals on our own,” he said.

“We are working closely with the DVS on the project as they are the regulatory body. It has the expertise to deal with animal issues,” said Thanasayan.

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) founder Wani Muthiah, however, felt the project was a foolish idea and would create problems.

“The centralised pound project would only create a bigger mess as irresponsible pet owners would dump their pets at the pound,” said Wani.

She added that unless pet owners sincerely cared for their pets, they would not go all out to retrieve those captured by the local councils if the pound is too far away.

“Do you think a person from Kuala Selangor would go all the way, for example, to Sepang to retrieve it?” asked Wani.

Trap, Neuter and Release programme
Also, she said if a residential area has a stray dog pack of 15 and five of them were caught, being pack animals, another five will just take their places to fill in the vaccuum.

“The best solution will be to implement the Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) programme. Just neuter and release them back.

“With that, you can keep it at 15 but at the same time they would not be able to breed and their numbers will eventually drop ” added Wani.

Debunking Wani’s statement, Thanasayan said the TNR system would not provide adequate protection to stray animals, especially dogs.

“Malaysians in general are less concerned of animal rights. You can spay and release them but you will still find cases where stray animals are poisoned or beaten to death.

“So who is going to protect them? Who is going to take them to a veterinarian when they are sick or hurt?” asked Thanasayan.

He said that while it was important to respect animal rights, the local councils were also responsible for public health as some strays may carry diseases.

“And we must also respect the rights of those people who do not like to have stray animals roaming around,” he said.

Thanasayan added that stray dogs have a tendency to attack people for no apparent reason. “And when that happens, who will take responsibility for it?”

Echoing Thanasayan’s concerns, an expert dealing with stray animals said the state-run pound would be a stepping stone in the right direction to deal with stray animals in a humane way.

He added that other states could emulate Selangor. For starters, he said the state-run pound could train local council officers on how to manage strays in the most humane way possible.

He also said it was not cost effective for all local councils to have a pound of their own.

“For example, it’s not feasible for the Hulu Langat Municipal Council to have its own pound as they don’t catch much strays. So the best is to send the strays to a state-run pound,” he said.

As for TNR, he said that the method may not work in Malaysia as most people are not comfortable having stray animals roaming freely in their neighbourhoods.

“And in order for TNR to work, we need to have a mass stray capturing exercise,” he said.

 

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