Dog-catching campaign not answer to curbing strays
WRONG METHOD: Many aren’t impressed with the way MPPG handled situation
SINCE time immemorial, dogs have been known as “man’s best friend”. They are loving, loyal creatures that would risk their lives for their masters. So, naturally the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council’s (MPPG) campaign in Johor involving the catching and extermination of stray dogs ruffled many feathers, especially those of animal lovers.
I was enjoying a day out with my family when I received a rather distressing message from a cousin via WhatsApp. It was a screenshot of a campaign pamphlet that was posted on Facebook by local animal activist group Malaysia Independent Animal Rescue.
Titled “Kempen Kawalan Anjing Liar” (Stray Dog Control Campaign), the leaflet listed a set of terms and conditions for the public, who are offered a reward of RM55 for every stray dog they catch.
The public would simply need to hand over as many live dogs as they could catch to receive the monetary incentive.
I couldn’t wrap my head around the logic and validity behind the campaign (especially since there were glaring typos in the leaflet!), and found it hard to believe that the council would come up with something like this.
So, I told my mother about it and we decided to call one of the numbers listed in the pamphlet to find out more details.
According to the woman from the municipal council we spoke to, the campaign was launched sometime last week and had received positive feedback.
She said some members of the public had caught stray dogs and had called the council to pick up the animals, and had received the handsome remuneration. She added that
the dogs would be adopted by people if they were in good shape and looked pleasant. Otherwise, they would be “euthanised in a humane way”.
On Facebook, it was quite clear that many people weren’t impressed with the way the municipal council had handled the stray situation with hordes of angry comments from Netizens. But, of course, it didn’t affect the campaign one bit.
Even Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Sultan Ibrahim Ismail responded to the brochure. He said euthanising dogs was not the right thing to do, adding that animal welfare societies, such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), existed for a reason.
This comes just days after a video of dog catchers hired by local city councils went viral on social media, where the dog handlers were seen catching stray dogs in a terribly rough manner. The dogs were later allegedly bludgeoned and drowned. It was a dreadful video to watch, but I told myself that I needed to do it if I wanted to write about it.
MPPG’s goal of zero strays has the right intention but, unfortunately, appallingly wrong means.
Think about this: RM55 is a lot of money for many people, especially now that the prices of nearly everything is skyrocketing. When monetary rewards are offered like this to the public, it will most certainly lead to bigger problems where some unscrupulous individuals may resort to stealing or “dog-napping” licensed pets. They will be encouraged by the reward for each dog, prompting them to climb over fences and snatching dogs from inside housing compounds.
Instead of offering rewards like this, why can’t local authorities do something to eliminate strays in the long run? Catching these dogs, and then putting them down, will not keep strays off the streets. Other dogs will come into the picture and breed, and the cycle continues.
The proper way of solving this problem is to educate the public about the concept of spaying/neutering. The public, especially animal lovers, can help with catching the strays. The council should focus on sterilising these strays, and releasing them back onto the streets. This way, there is no need to kill innocent animals to prevent overpopulation.