Killing strays is not the way

AS an introduction, the International Aid for the Protection and Welfare of Animals (IAPWA) is a global nongovernmental organisation based in the United Kingdom that signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Penang Island City Council to work hand in hand to manage the stray dog population on the island via the TrapNeuterRelease (TNR) project.

We have read with concern the report “In a rut over a glut of mutts” ( The Star, Feb 23) about Batu Ferringhi getting a onestar rating on TripAdvisor after dog attacks in the area.

First of all, it is important for us to understand how strays come about. Strays exist because they have been abandoned by their owners. They are left to wander the streets and fend for themselves. Majority of abandoned pets are not neutered so they give birth to scores of puppies, which reproduce after growing up, resulting in the huge problem of stray overpopulation. Research has shown that a pair of unsterilised male and female dogs can produce up to a staggering 69,000 offspring in a span of six years.

While the threats posed by the stray dogs have been well documented, our stance is that killing all of them will not solve the problem. We strongly believe that TNR is the way to go to tackle the issue.

With TNR, dogs caught by the council will be neutered by IAPWA’s vet and subsequently released. Their ears will be notched and tattooed with a specific serial number that is linked to our veterinary record.

However, upon releasing neutered dogs back onto the streets, we are also acutely aware that there is a need to strike a balance in the community where some people want to get rid of the dogs, but others want the dogs to be there, for instance, the feeders who are the community dog carers.

In the Batu Ferringhi case, for example, families of the victims and hotel operators may strongly request that all the dogs be removed but the water sport operators need them to guard their equipment and premises.

We hope to achieve a middle ground, winwin solution that is beneficial to all.

As a matter of fact, catching and removing all the dogs that are current roaming the beaches will not stop new ones from other areas coming in due to available resources (food, water and shelter) provided by the public and independent feeders, so it does not solve the root of the problem.

Instead, with TNR, dogs are expected to be less aggressive after neutering, and they will also not be able to keep reproducing batch after batch of puppies, which leads to the overpopulation issue.

Dogs that have been neutered and released in their original grounds will also guard their territories, making it difficult for new ones to come in. In the longer run, stray population would be reduced.

As for the aggressive dogs that have bitten people, we believe that in a pack, it is usually one, the alpha, that leads the way and might be the ultimate troublemaker. We will conduct an investigation and if we find that a particular dog is indeed the troublemaker, we will relocate it to animal shelters that are willing to cooperate with us to make TNR a success.

TNR has been proven to be effective in many parts of the world if properly carried out with the support and kind understanding of the majority of public.

All we hope for is to reduce the stray population in Penang via this more effective and humane way. It would benefit the public, hotel operators, the tourism industry of Penang and everyone in the community. CHOONG KOON YEAN Project Director International Aid for the Protection and Welfare of Animals