Klang mayor: Stray dogs can't be caught 'like butterflies', can get aggressive

 

Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) mayor Abd Hamid Hussain has defended the methods used by council officers to catch stray dogs, saying they have to take into account the animals’ potentially aggressive behaviour.

“If we caught dogs the way we catch butterflies… Because dogs are aggressive animals. We cannot catch them gently because they could pose a danger to us and could also escape,” he said, as quoted by Berita Harian.

Hamid was responding to questions over the death of a dog during an MBDK stray dog-catching operation at Taman Teluk Gedung Indah, Klang, last week.

Speaking to reporters at the Selangor state assembly building in Shah Alam today, he maintained there was no breach of standard operating procedures (SOP) during the operation.

He said the council’s capture methods complied with SOPs set by the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

“Based on the explanation given by the officers and personnel involved, we followed the prescribed SOP. The capture was carried out using a loop or a net, and those are the methods we use.

“During the operation that night, we successfully caught 12 dogs with the cooperation of residents. The incident only occurred when we tried to catch the 13th dog.

“As a result of the struggle involving a resident who claimed to be the owner, the animal was strangled, resulting in its death,” he said.

According to Hamid, the individual who claimed to own the dog should have waited until the animal had been captured before reclaiming it through the stipulated procedure.

“According to the initial statement, the person said the dog belonged to them, but later said it did not. So we do not know.

“We will leave it to the police to conduct their investigation, and further action will be taken once the investigation is completed.

“So far, two MBDK officers connected to the matter have been called to give statements at the police station,” he said.

50 complaints a month

Hamid further said advanced notice of the operation had been given through the local Rukun Tetangga neighbourhood committee.

The operation involved 11 MBDK personnel and about 50 residents.

He said MBDK carried out the operation following numerous complaints about stray dogs roaming the area and concerns over residents’ safety.

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“We receive about 50 complaints about stray dogs every month. The problem is quite critical in the area, and action was taken based on the complaints received,” he said.

He added that MBDK faced constraints in dealing with stray dogs because of a shortage of personnel and difficulties in securing private companies to carry out capture operations.

The operation at Taman Teluk Gedung Indah turned chaotic after an individual allegedly acted aggressively, threatened officers with a knife, and obstructed enforcement personnel from carrying out their duties.

South Klang district police chief Lim Jit Huey previously confirmed that police were investigating the dog’s death under Section 428 of the Penal Code for mischief by killing an animal. - Mkini