Could euthanasia be the last resort for strays?

 I am not an animal hater. I love animals. I have several pets at home, which includes a dog and several reptiles. In fact, I even used to have a cat.

I would never harm animals if I didn’t have to. I believe that they are nature’s beings and they have a right to live just like us human beings.

I definitely do not condone people being cruel towards animals. I do not think that animals should be beaten, tortured, or killed. So reading about the issue of the death of Rocky the dog in the news recently really disturbed me. I don’t like to imagine the pain and suffering of a living creature before it dies.

With that being said, I hate strays, both cats and dogs, but I particularly hate stray dogs. They travel in packs, are noisy, dangerous, and very dirty because they tend to rummage through rubbish and defecate everywhere. Cats aren’t too bad because they are small and usually solitary, but I still don’t like them.

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I have been chased by dogs many times when I was a little boy playing around my neighbourhood.

Sometimes, I would be riding my bicycle and a stray dog would start running and snapping at my heels. Other times, I would be walking around with my friends when a dog would come chasing after us, and we would run like cats.

As I have gotten older, I started to realise that it’s very easy not to be chased by dogs. All you need to do is be confident, stand your ground and not provoke the dogs. Most of the time, if you show no fear, you can even chase away a dog or even a whole pack by walking towards them and just shooing with your hands.

Strays just keep coming back

So yeah, I hate stray dogs, and I think the authorities need to step up their actions to deal with this problem. In my neighbourhood in Shah Alam, strays are a problem.

Currently, there is a pack of seven dogs roaming around the area. They bark and chase people, and of course, you can find their poop all over the place.

There is also a problem where some people actually feed the strays. I understand the concern that these animals might go hungry, but if you are going to feed them, I believe you have to take on the other responsibilities, such as making sure their faeces are cleaned, and ensuring they don’t endanger people.

From what I understand, when strays are caught by the authorities, they are kept for a certain period, and if nobody claims them, they are either put up for adoption, sent to animal welfare NGOs, or humanely euthanised. Some NGOs and private citizens also organise neutering or spaying of the strays.

It does sound like a good approach, but unfortunately, the strays are just constantly coming back.

Maybe there are just too many, and I have to admit that if there is no other choice, as much as I love animals, if it causes a nuisance and becomes a danger, then culling would be the way to go.

Lack of education

Yes, I do know that my opinion can be considered controversial and might even invite anger and hate from the elitist animal lovers. But if that is the last resort, then I am okay with that. Of course, if there are other better ways that can actually work to control strays, then I would be all for it.

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Being an animal lover means more than just wanting to feed them and not wanting them dead. There is a lot to consider and think about.

If you really think about it, it is even cruel to leave them as strays because it isn’t a very nice life for these dogs and cats, so the best way is to try to make sure there are no strays at all.

I think Malaysians need to be taught to have empathy and sympathy towards animals. We lack education in this aspect because in our society, animals are not often spoken about as living beings, but more like inanimate objects. Of course, not everyone is like that, but a majority are.

So until we actually fix this lack of education and start holding pet owners and authorities truly responsible, we’re just going to keep going in circles.

At the end of the day, solving the stray problem isn’t about being cruel or hating animals - it’s about keeping our neighbourhoods safe while making sure these dogs and cats aren’t left to suffer out on the streets. - Mkini

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ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist and academic. Visit fatbidin.com to view his work.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.