I JOIN the large but silent majority of animal lovers who wish that cruelty and abuse of animals is stopped.
There are a few areas that we need to address to achieve this objective.
Significantly raise the penalty for animal cruelty from the present RM200 to a minimum of RM1,500.
A jail term should also be included for those who cannot or will not pay the penalty.
I appeal to the MPSJ president to look into this, because there have been several cases of animal abuse under his jurisdiction.
The MPSJ must reduce the reward for dogs caught because RM45 per dog is a lot of money.
It is a great motivator for dog catchers to produce as many dogs as possible and to use any means necessary, including brute force.
The local authorities must ensure that private contractors abide by a few simple rules.
Dog catchers cannot trespass into private homes, even if the dog has no licence; and they cannot use force on the animals.
Local councils, especially MPSJ, should seriously consider stopping the employment of private contractors to catch dogs.
Instead, work with animal welfare bodies like PAWS and SPCA.
Funding must be given to these animal welfare bodies to carry out their jobs.
The authorities must realise that animal lovers are needed for this kind of job, not contract workers who regard dog catching as a bounty exercise.
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
This comment was taken from: The Star Online: News: Opinions 14 December 2008
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