Cops urged to probe local govts over SOP breach in catching strays

 

Members of Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) and Persatuan Haiwan Terbiar Malaysia (SAFM) outside Bukit Aman, ready to hand over their memorandum.

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) and animal rights NGO, Persatuan Haiwan Terbiar Malaysia (SAFM), today presented a memorandum to Bukit Aman urging police to investigate local governments for not following procedures when catching stray dogs.

SAFM president R Kalaivanan said the housing and local government ministry had already laid down a proper set of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

“However, the local authorities have not been following the specific guidelines in capturing stray dogs.

“Even though the SOPs have been provided, the local governments are still not abiding by them and use harsh ways to capture dogs, which can lead to injuries or death,” Kalaivanan told reporters after handing over the memorandum to the police today.

He said this issue has been going on nationwide for years without resolution and singled out Selangor, which he said had the highest number of cases.

“However, states like Negeri Sembilan – where the local authorities work together with NGOs to catch stray dogs – have no such cases,” he said.

Kalaivanan also raised concerns over the hiring of external parties to capture these stray animals, adding that those parties may not be well-trained to capture the dogs according to the SOPs.

Meanwhile, PRM’s complaints and welfare bureau chief Lee Hoi Eng questioned the lack of action against these local authorities for not following the SOPs provided by the ministry.

“There is so much proof on social media that local governments handle stray dogs in a very cruel manner, but there seems to be no action taken against them.

“Is it because they are the local government?” he asked. - FMT