Article: Vet Ultimatum

By Darshini Kandasamy March 10, 2009

Categories: News

THE Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has given three Selangor local councils a monthto construct dog pounds in accordance with its guidelines or face being slapped with action for animal cruelty.

The order was issued by department director-general Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin in response to a Malay Mail report last Friday which highlighted that Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, Klang Municipal Council and Kajang Municipal Council were allegedly housing captured strays, as wellas licenced dogs, in the councils’ vans and trucks as these councils do not possess their own animal pounds.

Deeming the councils’ actions as unacceptable, Dr Abd Aziz said his department had given them more than enough time to abide by the guidelines on the housing and extermination of strays.

“By the end of next month, if they do not have their own pounds, they will face action for animal cruelty offences,” he told Malay Mail.

When asked about the explanation given by the Ampang Jaya and Kajang councils that strays were euthanised the next day and as such there was no cruelty involved, Dr Abd Aziz said: “Although there is no time limit (as to how long a council must keep strays before euthanising them), the councils must ensure the animals are housed in good conditions. After all, animals have the right to humane treatment too.

“There is no excuse. This is not an agreeable practice by a Malaysian organisation,” he said.“We have the guidelines, now we must enforce them.”

He, however, declined to elaborate on what possible penalties the councils could face should they fail to meet the deadline, stating instead, “We will monitor to make sure they have proper pounds.”

On March 6, Malay Mail highlighted the concerns of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) which claimed the three councils were housing dogs in vans and trucks for days without food and water, as they lacked proper pounds.

Pictures provided to Malay Mail showed dogs kept in the councils’ trucks, or in the case of Ampang Jaya, the van of an outsourced private company, without being housed in individuals cages — which was against the department's guidelines.

This article was taken from: The Malay Mail: News 10 March 2009