SRDC, SMC to partner up in keeping stray dogs off the streets

SIBU: Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) will join forces with Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) to remove stray dogs from the streets.

In stating this, SRDC chairman Sempurai Petrus Ngelai said the SRDC Dogs Unit would be working together with its counterpart from Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) to catch stray dogs and also those roaming around the neighbourhoods.

“I also urge parents to be more aware of their children’s whereabouts. To the pet owners, we call for your full cooperation in keeping your dogs within your house compounds and in cages,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Additionally, Sempurai also reminded the owners to have their dogs vaccinated if they had not already done so.

“We also need to be alert towards any symptom, be it our own pets or strays, to ensure that the councils and the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) can catch those infected (dogs) immediately,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile in a Facebook update posted on Saturday, SMC chairman Clarence Ting said the council was overwhelmed by requests from

Sempurai Petrus Ngelai

members of the public to remove stray dogs from the streets.

In this respect, he said the SMC was reinforcing its dogs unit – including the possibility of the council outsourcing independent contractors for this task.

Assistant Minister for Local Government and Housing Dr Annuar Rapaee had expressed his sadness and disappointment over the latest human rabies case here, which indicated the lackadaisical attitude of the public in the war against rabies.

He said even with so much efforts having been put in to curtail this deadly disease since the rabies outbreak was declared in Sarawak in July 2017, many people were still letting their guard down.

Dr Annuar, who heads the Sibu Rabies Control Team, also reiterated the advice for pet owners to not let their dogs roam freely.

In the latest incident, a five-yearold boy was bitten by a dog at a housing area along Jalan Sanhill Barat here on May 24.

Last Friday, DVS Sarawak director Dr Adrian Susin Ambud said the dog that bit the boy had tested positive for rabies.

For the record, a five-year-old girl at Jalan Sentosa here was attacked by a stray dog on March 8 this year – the incident left her suffering facial injuries, specifically on the mouth and eye areas.

She died on March 26, with the Health Ministry having confirmed that her death was due to rabies.

I also urge parents to be more aware of their children’s whereabouts. To the pet owners, we call for your full cooperation in keeping your dogs within your house compounds and in cages.