Harsher Penalities For Animal Cruelty Needed

Tuesday June 12, 2012

Harsher penalties for mistreatment of animals called for

By IVAN LOH
ivanloh@thestar.com.my

ANIMAL lovers have expressed their support for the proposed Animal Welfare Bill to be tabled and passed, calling it timely to put a stop to acts of animal cruelty.
Noah’s Ark Ipoh founder and treasurer, Dr Ranjit Kaur Mendhir said the Bill was very much needed in a developed country like Malaysia.

“Countries like Singapore and even India have laws disallowing animal testing in laboratories.

Protesting: Tay, holding a placard, said that a civilised country like Malaysia should have the Animal Welfare Bill to protect animals against acts of cruelty.

“They are using dummies instead of live animals, which is the right method,” she told The Star.
“India has progressed far in terms of animal rights while Malaysia is lagging way behind,” she added.

Dr Ranjit said the Government should clarify and define “animal cruelty” before including more terms in the Bill.

“The Government must draw a line and define what is considered acts of cruelty.
“Throwing hot water on dogs, kicking them, putting them in small cages are all cruel acts that should be defined,” she said.

Dr Ranjit, however, pointed out that harsh penalties for those found to have mistreated animals was a must.

“The penalty should be increased, especially against those who shoot dogs,” she said, adding that accreditation for pet shops should be included in the Bill.

“This is to check and give marks to pet shops.

“Some of these shops are unethical and there has to be some guidelines on what pet shop owners should do and should not do,” she added.

Last week, Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong (flashback below) had said bans on dog shooting would be amongst the many proposals under the Bill.
The proposal would also include disqualifying a person with bad records from keeping pets, Chua had said, adding that the Bill would cover the welfare of all animals, including domesticated pets, livestock and zoo animals.

Dr Ranjit said that she was looking forward to attending the ministry’s Open Day at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park in Serdang on June 19 to hear feedback from the public, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders on how to improve the proposed Bill.

Businessman Thomas Tay, 49, concurred with Dr Ranjit, saying that it was time such a Bill was proposed and tabled.

“We are considered a civilised country and should also have laws to better care for animals.
“I find it pitiful to look at some of the animals at pet shops and zoos where the living conditions are atrocious,” said Tay, who owns a dog.

“Some of the cages are small and it is really cruel to the animals,” he added.
He also said any news of animal abuse, which occurred in Malaysia would paint a negative picture of the country to the rest of the world.

“The Government must not only be caring towards the people but also towards animals as well,” he said.

Pet shop owner Brian Wong, 40, said guidelines to indicate the do’s and don’ts of operating pet shops were important in order to promote professionalism in the industry.

He said this would raise the quality of care for animals and also lessen instances of animal cruelty.
Wong said there had been much publicity on unethical dog breeding of late whereas such reports do not reflect the entire industry.

“Sickly puppies without quality are produced as a result of such practice whereas most pet shops only select the best and healthy ones for sale.

“I believe most dog breeders know what they are doing and will not simply breed puppies unethically as it also affects their reputation and business,” Wong said, adding that it was not cheap to operate such breeding places due to costs in food supply and medication.

Wong, however, cautioned that regulations that were too stringent could affect the pet shop industry as was the case with regulations placed on those wanting to rear sugar gliders.

“The requirement for people to get a license to rear sugar gliders is unnecessary as they are not on the extinction list and there are many breeding places for these small gliding possums.

“Making it compulsory to obtain these licenses is only helping the authorities increase their revenue but is creating unnecessary trouble for pet shop owners and customers,” he added.

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