Article: Plight of the swamp dogs

Wednesday May 6, 2009

PORT KLANG: Animal activist Sabrina Yeap couldn't hold back her tears when she saw the condition of the dogs that Pulau Ketam residents had dumped on an uninhabited island.

"They were wandering aimlessly, often looking towards Pulau Ketam with eyes that appeared empty and listless,'' said Yeap who went to Pulau Tengah last Saturday to check on the welfare of the dogs.

Several fishermen, a volunteer, and blogger TV Smith accompanied Yeap on the trip to the island, which is in the middle of a mangrove swamp.

"The fishermen told us that some of the dogs had died of starvation, and those that are alive ate the carcasses,'' said Yeap.

Waiting to be rescued: Several of the abandoned dogs on Pulau Tengah looking wistfully at the approaching visitors. Inset: Yeap bringing an injured Hope back to the mainland.

Pulau Ketam residents had trapped some 400 dogs and transported them to Pulau Tengah to ease the stray dog population on their island.

Yeap said the fishermen told her that some of the dogs had tried to swim back to the main island but had been shooed away, resulting in some of them drowning.

"It was a pitiful sight, and I couldn't stop crying after I saw what was happening to the dogs there,'' said Yeap.

She added that she would be taking 20 dogs to her Furry Friends Farm in Kundang to be rehabilitated and eventually re-homed.

"I wish I could take in more dogs, but can't due to space and financial constraints,'' said Yeap, who managed to save a dog she found trapped in the mud.

The dog, since named Hope, is recuperating at a veterinary clinic pending transfer to Yeap's sanctuary.

Yeap said she hoped farm and orchard owners would come forward to adopt some of the abandoned dogs.

Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam said he would be visiting Pulau Ketam to talk to the residents over what they had done (Pulau Ketam and Pulau Tengah fall under the Kapar parliamentary constituency).

"It is wrong to dump dogs where they cannot survive. I will bring this matter up with the relevant authorities,'' he said.

Manikavasagam added that he was prepared to accompany Yeap and Smith on their next visit to Pulau Tengah.

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) spokesman Jacinta Johnson said a relief team would be sent to Pulau Tengah to try and rescue the dogs.

"We will try to round up the healthier dogs and neuter them. For the weaker ones, we have no choice but to put them to sleep," she added.

The SPCA would also seek the cooperation of Pulau Ketam residents to set up a temporary dog shelter if required.

More about this HERE.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Nation 6 May 2009