NEWs ... ANIMAL CRUELTY IN MALAYSIA

Friday May 27, 2011

Stop Animal Abuse

SEVERAL NGOs, including Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor, are rallying for the nation’s support in its mission to collect 50,000 signatures by end of 2011 to be handed over to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The petition calls for the Government to take the necessary steps to prosecute individuals, government or private entities which have caused unnecessary suffering to animals or neglected their welfare, based on contents of the Animal Act 1953 (Revised 2006). Animal lovers from Malaysia and all around the world were quick to sign the petition online and spread the word, and to date 7,356 signatures have been collected online alone – 1.5 signatures a minute on average.

NGO’s supporting and promoting this petition include PAWS Animal Welfare Society, Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB), H.O.P.E. Johor Baru, Save A Stray, SPCA Penang, SPCA Seberang Prai, Petfinder.my, Paws Mission and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM). More NGOs are expected to join this campaign soon, in a consolidated effort to make positive change for Malaysian animals.

Over the years and even to this very day, animal lovers have stood by and watched helplessly as cases were being reported of municipal council workers handling stray dogs with brute force, pet owners neglecting or abandoning their pets, zoo animals living in deplorable conditions, and stray animals which were maimed or killed by cruel individuals.

“We earnestly urge the Prime Minister to act in all expediency to quash this kind of inhumane, arrogant behaviour by Malaysians. Allowing them to continue will result in the needless suffering of the animals every year and will definitely have a detrimental impact on Malaysia’s image worldwide. A compassionate nation that cares for its animals is also a nation that will care for its people,” says SPCA Selangor chairman Christine Chin.

“Catch and kill, the preferred method of eradicating strays by the local councils, has proven to be expensive, ineffective and inhumane. SPCA as well as other rescue groups have been offering a radical but more effective Trap-Neuter-Release programme with proper and stringent guidelines to ensure the community and animals benefit,” Chin added.

“The FBI has long recognised the link between animal cruelty and violence towards humans. According to research done by the Massachusetts SPCA and Northeastern University, animal abusers are five times more likely to be violent in society.

“Governments all over the world have begun to take animal cruelty seriously, and it’s time Malaysia does too,” said Andy Koh, the founder of PetFinder.my who has been instrumental in setting up the petition campaign online.

Sign the petition at www.StopAnimalAbuse.my/

 

Wednesday June 23, 2010

Put a stop to animal cruelty

I REFER to the articles about animal cruelty that The Star had reported and would like to commend the newspaper for giving a voice to these helpless “citizens” of the earth.

The authorities concerned should be more vigilant against animal cruelty and ensure that laws are enforced to keep a check on any abuses.

Parents should also play their role by educating their children that it is wrong to throw stones at animals.

I believe that love for living things, including dogs, transcends the barrier of language, race, country and even religion.

LIEW JIA ERN,

Perak.

Shenaaz Khan
                Jun 3, 2011

Gov't's dog shooting ban a barefaced lie

Rulers often give a rather realistic imitation of altruism. They purge pluralistic promises to mask their innate ruthlessness. In Malaysia, prominent among the false whiskers wearers is the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS). Of all the malingering and slothful government agencies, the DVS has proven to be amongst the most ineffective and worthless of the lot.


The perfect rot that they are, they appear to also be the most competent of liars. So marvellous is this prowess that they've consistently used it for decades to detract, defuse and dictate the welfare of animals in this inhumane country.

With their moribund state of practices, dwindling with obsolescence, they have made dead sure that almost all animal abusers, animal killers and animal neglecters enjoy punitive immunity and eternal freedom.


Of course their blatant ineptitude has been aided by a government and system that thrives on corruption and cruelty. Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin, the DVS director general, is undoubtedly the proud product of such a government. He is utterly useless, besmirched and ever ready to cool simmering public opinion by spewing media friendly untruths!


Case in point is the supposed ban on dog shooting in Malaysia. In November 2010, following the ghastly council killing of a pet dog in Ipoh, Aziz smugly announced a ban on dog shooting in Malaysia. Animal lovers celebrated with hopeful hurrahs. How ignorant they were for Aziz was yet again doing what he does best- telling a barefaced lie.


Truth be told, the ban merely applied to DVS officers. (Note: DVS officers have not shot dogs since rabies was eradicated some 50 years ago). The ban, however, did not apply to council dog catchers, whom many a decent Malaysian would recognise as monstrous murderers of innocent animals.


Alas, amidst his grand announcement and nauseating smirks of accomplishment, Aziz failed to ooze out this vital piece of information. So for all intents and purposes, the dog shooting ban was no ban at all.


Thus, the statement by Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar on a shiny smashing new law holds very little promise for animals of this country. New and “improved” laws with enhanced sentences and fines are worthless without competent and impartial enforcement of said laws.


But competence and impartiality is clearly beyond the skill set of the Malaysian government, hence their unrelenting reluctance to act against real criminals committing real crimes.


The continued barbarianism perpetrated by councils and individuals speaks volumes of the governments' effectiveness in combatting cruelty. Periodical rhetoric on animal welfare, be it at open dialogues or closed door meetings, can best be described as political posturing and has no real value or worth.


The Serdang kitten killer, the poodle abuser and the Batu Pahat council dog catchers, all of whose hideous acts were videotaped, are still at large. Despite such gripping evidence, the DVS and the Attorney-General's Chambers seem to think bringing these criminals to book a rather superfluous exercise. And so these monsters continue to roam our streets, unpunished and unrepentant. And the grisly plight of animals remains unchanged.


With Noh, Aziz and their repellent gang of callous colleagues at the helm of animal protection laws, cruel councils and animal annihilators will be allowed to further nourish the inhumane tide engulfing this country. And the crusaders of cruelty shall continue their wickedness with a wink and a nod from the powers that be.

LAMAN KL-TODAY.COM

End cruelty on animals in Malaysia

http://www.kl-today.com/2011/06/end-cruelty-on-animals-in-malaysia/
Posted by admin on June 20th, 2011 

Jeswan Kaur

In November last year when the public was outraged over the brutality displayed by the Ipoh Municipal Council workers in shooting dead a pet dog, the Veterinary Services Department (VSD) quickly pacified animal lovers by declaring a ban on dog shootings throughout the country. Looking at the dismal track record of the VSD, the public however gave department director-general Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin the benefit of the doubt, relieved that street dogs would no longer meet a cruel fate at the hands of local council workers.

But as the Malaysian Animal Welfare Society recently pointed out, the statement by Abdul Aziz was a lie.

Its president Shenaaz Khan said the ban applied only to VSD officers. The department officers, said Shenaaz, have not shot dogs since rabies was eradicated 50 years ago.

The ban does not apply to local council dog catchers whom many of us know have no heart and compassion for street animals. Why did Abdul Aziz, knowing well that the ban exempted local council dog catchers, lie to the public?

Further proof that Abdul Aziz had lied came about after one Associate Professot Dr Khoo Kong Soo on June 13 e-mailed a letter to FMT recounting the cruelty meted out by the Kampar District Council enforcement officers by shooting dogs in his area.

Khoo said the officers arrived on the morning of June 8 at his residential area of Taman Bukit Emas, Kampar, to shoot dogs.

Khoo said the housing estate is on the fringe of an Orang Asli settlement who have been staying there and rearing dogs long before the newer houses of Taman Bukit Emas were built.

He said that a dog was shot as he tried to run up the hill to the Orang Asli village.

“A rifle was used. I saw a single wound on the dog’s back. The body of the dog was loaded into a large container of water at the back of a pick-up truck. I went to the enforcement officers to protest and pleaded with them not to shoot the dogs as they were owned by Orang Asli, and an officer wearing a nametag of ‘Murali’ told me, ‘Kita tak boleh tembakkah?’ (Why shouldn’t we shoot?),” Khoo wrote.

Stop using guns

Disturbed by the lack of compassion shown by the enforcement officers, Khoo said no matter how much and how often animal lovers and civilised people protested, the practice of using firearms and other cruel methods on dogs continues.

“A rifle loaded with live rounds has no place in a residential area. It is an unsafe practice as a ricochet could cause injury or death.

“It is gross cruelty to animals, it endangers all of us. Examples of misuse of firearms by the council officers are manifold. An enforcement officer shot a DVD peddler and an innocent bystander who lived with the bullet in his chest till the day he passed away.

“Another shot an old lady’s therapy dog, a labrador. The shooter and his team could not even distinguish between a pedigree dog and a stray mutt or were so bent on killing, they didn’t care. At another time, a shooter who failed to kill a dog with the first shot entered inside the compound of the dog’s owner to deliver the coup de grace,” Khoo recalled.

He said that guns should be restricted to government personnel who needed them for protection against possible violence and danger, for example, police, armed forces, and the wildlife department.

“Municipal councils are not fighting terrorists, poachers, militants, insurgents, pirates, robbers, so they don’t need guns. After all, most dogs and DVD sellers that I know are not armed with AK-47s and cannot return fire,” Khoo said.

Reading Khoo’s letter says it all – the VSD is not about to learn from its mistakes, the most painful, literally, involving a German Shepherd pet dog called Sheena. It was 1995 and she was left to die by her heartless owner after he shifted home, abandoning the dog in the previous house, devoid of clean water and food.

Calls made by a concerned resident to VSD to rescue Sheena were ignored, causing Sheena her dear life.

Malaysian leaders the real bluff masters

Recently, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, Noh Omar, announced that a new law known as the National Animal Welfare Act was being drafted to expedite the need for animal protection.

To Abdul Aziz, the new legislation was necessary as it would take too long to amend the Animals Act 1953, saying: “It is faster to draft a new Act. That is our approach now.”

Unfortunately, there is no saying how drafting new Acts is going to improve animal welfare in this country if the mindset of the authorities involved does not change correspondingly. The zero enforcement as seen from Sheena’s case in particular reveals the stink that has long permeated the department.

As Shenaaz said: “Thus, the statement by Noh on a shiny smashing new law holds very little promise for animals of this country. New and ‘improved’ laws with enhanced sentences and fines are worthless without competent and impartial enforcement of said laws.”

The proposed amendments aside, Noh, however, has failed animal lovers. Despite there being videotape evidence of the Serdang kitten killer, the poodle abuser and the Batu Pahat council dog catchers, none has been punished under the law. Why?

If the VSD, Noh and even the attorney-general harbour the vaguest idea that persecuting such cruel individuals is a waste of their “executive” time, they are so very wrong. These authorities should know better than to take the animals lovers for granted.

Stop the lip service

On Jan 27 this year, Abdul Aziz declared that the Animal Act would be amended, all to increase the existing fine of RM200 to RM50,000. The six-month jail term, however, remains.

Abdul Aziz’s justification for the increase in fine was that the existing RM200 had outlived its effectiveness.

“We feel it does not serve as a deterrent,” he had said. As for the six-month jail time, Abdul Aziz had this to say: “We believe the current penalty of six months’ imprisonment is enough for culprits to realise their mistake.”

It is annoying to sense the smugness in Abdul Aziz’s words. Was the RM200 fine not pittance in Sheena’s case? Her owner of seven years got off with a RM100 fine for torturing the dog to death, while the loyal Sheena lost her life, due to starvation and pain endured. So much for justice done!

A mere RM100 in fine in default of two days’ jail was all its owner Lien Chong San received, no thanks to Section 44 (1) (d) of the Animal Ordinance 1953.

Lien was not barred from adopting pets anymore nor was he compelled to do community service at animal shelters – proof that Malaysia’s Animal Act is nothing but a toothless tiger, failing time and again to provide justice to abused animals, some who end up dead.

Since 1953, only two or three animal abusers were jailed and that too, not exceeding two days! The government passed the new Animal Act 2006 but not a single provision of the Animal Ordinance 1953 was changed.

Why was the fine not raised when the ordinance was amended in 2006?

A dog suffered until it died and the VSD director-general never faced the music. He escaped disciplinary action in failing to carry out his duties. Worst, no apology was ever tendered by the department to animal lovers over its failure to safe Sheena.

Don’t politicise animal rights

Looking at the inhumane actions of the VSD, a valid question comes to mind – is the department sincere in respecting and guaranteeing the rights of animals as enshrined under the law or is it a mere political ploy, to win the people’s heart, bearing in mind the impending general election?

A word of caution to VSD: Keep politics out of the business of protecting animals and safeguarding their rights. Should Abdul Aziz and company be ignorant of how best to protect the animals, a look at the laws adopted by other countries will be helpful.

Take India. It is leading in the rising number of convictions for animal abuse and with stiff penalties. One court in India stopped the bullock cart race held during the temple festivals because the cows are beaten with sticks to force them to move faster.

In UAE, the laws protect both domestic pets and street animals. Abuse of an animal is punishable with a jail term of up to one year and a fine of not more than RM10,000 or both.

Hong Kong had some years back passed The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill 2006 to put in place stiffer penalties for animal cruelty; the fine was raised from US$641 to US$25,641 plus three years imprisonment.

The Hong Kong government went a step further and set up a hotline to report animal abuse. Its people can also call the police who are given the authority to arrest animal abusers.

End cruelty against animals

Last year, an elderly woman was traumatised when the Ipoh City Council gunned down her loyal and licensed therapy dog to sleep. The council tried washing its hands off by saying it thought the dog was a street animal.

In March last year too, a concerned citizen wrote a letter to a news portal depicting the horror of witnessing the dog being abused at the Kepong central KTM station by Kuala Lumpur City Hall workers who tied the dog to a grille and shoved a piece of wood down his throat (pic left).

The dog was bleeding and surrounded by its faeces. Its suffering least bothered these City Hall workers who were more concerned about sprucing up the area in preparation for a visit by a Cabinet minister.

The workers escaped punishment. Is this how people of a “caring” nation behave?

In 2005, The Star reported a cat breeder was charged in court with neglecting his cats by forcing them to lie inside small cages alongside their faeces, resulting in an unbearable stench.

In another incident in Johor Baru, five men armed with sticks attacked several street cats and dogs under the care of the Johor Baru Humane Touch Animal Welfare Society in Taman Delima.

Yet, another case involved the Kuala Langat District Council which was reported to have killed nine pedigree dogs without any veterinary assessment.

VSD, have a heart for animals

It is a shame that both the VSD and the government cannot not care less about animal rights in Malaysia. To the London-based 124-year-old The Mayhew Animal Home and Humane Education Centre, these cases of animal abuse showed Malaysia’s lack of respect for its animals. The centre, sadly, is accurate in its assessment of animal welfare in Malaysia.

The Animal Act 1953 gives the veterinary department and the police power to arrest without warrant any person caught abusing an animal as stated under Section 44. Why is this provision under the Act not being enforced by both authorities?

The RM50,000 fine alone is not going to improve the situation. Instead of being jailed, such offenders must be sentenced to do community service, spending many hours working at animal shelters. If that fails to raise their conscience, such people should never again be allowed to adopt pets.

The VSD must also keep a record of people who adopt animals to ensure only the right profiles are allowed to keep pets.

Until and unless the authorities start respecting animal welfare, this blatant disrespect for animal rights has made World Animal Day, celebrated on Oct 4 each year, of no significance to the VSD, the local councils and the “powers that be” in Malaysia.