Animal welfare NGOs urge DBKL to remove high bailout fees for strays

 The NGOs are accusing Kuala Lumpur City Hall of holding the stray animals for ransom.

GHRF president S Shashi Kumar handing over the memorandum to the mayor’s representative at DBKL today.

KUALA LUMPUR:

Twenty-five animal welfare NGOs gathered outside Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) today to protest high bailout fees for stray dogs, accusing DBKL of holding the animals for ransom.

In a memorandum submitted to a representative of the mayor, the Coalition of Malaysian Animal Welfare NGOs said groups reclaiming strays captured by DBKL are charged a compound fee of up to RM2,000 per dog, a RM200 capture fee and daily boarding fees until the animal is claimed.

They said dogs not redeemed within seven days risk being put down, arguing that DBKL’s current system prioritises euthanasia over facilitating the animals’ transfer to shelters.

The NGOs also said they found no by-laws permitting the imposition of fines on rescuers, noting that such fines are usually imposed on the animals’ owners.

“This is extortion. They are holding these dogs for ransom, capturing them and demanding you pay them thousands.

“Imagine how much you have to pay as an NGO to save just 10 dogs. Yet they’re basically saying that if you don’t pay up, these animals will die,” said Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) president S Shashi Kumar.

In the memorandum, NGOs such as GHRF, Lawyers for Animal Rights and the Stray Animal Welfare Association requested a meeting with the Kuala Lumpur mayor to discuss abolishing the bailout fees and improving the welfare of animals housed at DBKL’s holding facilities.

Shashi stressed that animal welfare groups did not want more “empty promises from politicians as we approach election season”, saying previous meetings yielded few results.

In July last year, an animal welfare group urged the government to cover the bailout fees imposed by local councils.

The group said the fees placed a heavy financial burden on rescuers and NGOs, many of whom relied on donations and personal savings. - FMT