Johor veterinary dept probing dog set on fire incident

 

Screenshots of the CCTV recording showing the man abusing the dogs living at the stairwell.

PETALING JAYA: The Johor veterinary services department is investigating the abuse of several stray dogs by a man who was caught on CCTV throwing bricks and on one occasion, setting one of them on fire.

Johor Bahru Utara acting police chief Fariz Ammar Abdullah said the police had received a report on the incident on March 27.

The incident is said to have taken place near a veterinary clinic in Taman Impian Emas, Skudai, Johor Bahru.

“The purpose of the report is so that the case can be referred to the veterinary services department for them to investigate the abuse of the animals.

“The investigation is being conducted under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015,” Fariz said in a statement today.

CCTV footage showed a 19-year-old man abusing the stray dogs on three separate occasions.

The closed-circuit camera caught the man throwing a vase at the dogs, which were living at a stairwell next to a veterinary clinic, on March 8. On March 14, he returned to the same spot and threw bricks and rocks at the two dogs.

Then on March 27, he was seen hitting one of the strays with a metal rod before driving away, only to return later to set one of them on fire.

According to My Forever Doggo, a platform that helps to find homes for dogs, the stray is currently undergoing treatment at a veterinary clinic in Johor after suffering fractures to both her front and back legs as well as first and second degree burns to her body.

Its social media post said the perpetrator’s grandparents had sought forgiveness from the public following an outcry over the incidents. The man’s mother is also said to have requested for the police report to be retracted.

“She (the mother) allegedly said that hurting the dogs was a trivial matter, saying that the dog will bite others if left outside,” the post read.

The unidentified veterinarian, however, said the dogs were friendly to her customers and never displayed any sign of aggression or chased after people. - FMT