Who’s responsible for indiscriminate dog killing in Tanjung Bungah?

 

Since early July, around 30 dogs in the Tanjung Bungah area have died from suspected poisoning and to date, no-one has been prosecuted for these shocking acts of cruelty.

Despite widespread concern, as various people have lodged police reports and NGOs have highlighted these crimes, CCTV recordings have failed to yield any results.

The clips failed to provide evidence of anyone acting suspiciously and contributing to the deaths of these dogs. No one has been seen placing poison in either the food or water containers; however, the deaths have continued.

The carcasses were discovered by dog feeders who claimed that most of the dogs were neutered strays except for one six-year-old husky, Lilou, which belonged to a Canadian family living in Penang. She was a much-loved pet of the Kerschel family.

Having worked and stayed for two years on the island, the Canadian teachers and their two young children were in the process of relocating to their homeland.

Last week, when the family took Lilou on her daily walk near their Mira residence condominium, their pet started to convulse violently.

Despite rushing her to the vet as quickly as was possible, nothing could be done to save Lilou. She died of suspected poisoning either from grass, or food contaminated with poison.

The tragedy that struck proved to be a bitter blow for the Kerschels. Right up till Lilou’s death, their stay in Penang had been a pleasant and memorable one, especially as Lilou was much adored by those who knew her in the parks of Tanjung Bungah, where she went for her walks.

Sadly, Lilou’s death has left the Kerschels with a negative perception of their time in Malaysia. They cannot conceive how anyone could be so cruel as to harm and kill an animal.

The family are not the only ones who have suffered because, in the past few weeks, many other dogs have been found dead in the locality.

To prevent a similar fate from happening to other dogs, and to highlight the presence of an individual, or groups, with the evil aim of harming dogs, the Kerschels have also lodged a police report and reached out to the locals. They hope that what happened to Lilou will make other dog owners more vigilant.

Concern for these unaccountable deaths has heightened, with the latest suspected poisoning at Linear Park on July 19. This has brought the total number of dead dogs to 30.

Agnes James, the deputy chairman of the Tanjung Bungah Residents Association (TBRA) said they had contacted the authorities to convey their concerns and inform them of the latest deaths. She and the other residents hope that the authorities would act immediately to end the cruelty.

The Penang veterinary services department regulatory division head, Dr Tishrin Muhamad Ismail, said his department was on high alert. They had been informed of the deaths on July 10 and 14.

Unfortunately, no autopsies to confirm the cause of the dogs’ deaths could be performed because of the time lag. By the time his department had been notified, the dogs had either been buried or burned by the local residents.

They had done this for health and safety reasons, and to avoid a foul stench from the decomposing carcasses. The lack of post-mortems meant that the vets were unable to confirm the type of poison used.

Dr Tishrin confirmed that this was the second time they had received complaints about dog deaths in the area. Last year, four dog carcasses were found in plastic bags and discarded like trash.

In addition, newspaper reports also showed that in March and April 2023, some 25 dogs were poisoned in Penang’s Lorong Delima neighbourhood.

Such attacks occur when some residents are unhappy and angry about the presence of stray dogs which allegedly roam and foul the  surrounding residential areas.

Meanwhile, state local government, town and country planning committee chairman, Jason H’ng Mooi Lye, has also confirmed that CCTV recordings have not yielded any results.

Nevertheless, H’ng said they would not tolerate any acts of animal abuse and cruelty. He stressed their concern over the deaths, and added that offenders could be charged under the Animal Welfare Act 2015.

He requested that Penangites render their cooperation by submitting any recordings or evidence to help with investigations into the deaths. He also said many birds have also died from being poisoned.

Dog NGOs have also urged dog owners to be ultra cautious and wary of food left on the streets or near their house compounds.

Many irresponsible people do not think about the harm they place on other animals, like birds and cats, with the poison used to kill stray dogs. Their stupidity is not strictly limited to harming the animals they despise.

In the past fortnight, two young children died after consuming poisoned crackers meant to ensnare and kill monkeys on a farm in Kulim.

When will this carnage end? More importantly, before children or more animals die, anyone with vital information, or who saw something, should come forward so that the dog killers can be apprehended and dealt with according to the law. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.