Article: Animal whisperers : Young animal rescuers By SHARMILA NAIR

Wednesday April 14, 2010

Animal whisperers
Young animal rescuers
By SHARMILA NAIR

Adopting pets is a good thing. However, before you head over to the nearest animal sanctuary, you need to know what taking care of your pet entails.

THE Earth does not revolve around humans. Unfortunately for animals, humans often forget that.

For years, animal welfare organisations like Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB), PAWS Animal Welfare Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) have been advocating animal rights and trying to get humans to accept them.

Recent news of the appalling conditions at the Selayang Municipal Council dog pound in Selangor got the public riled up. Photographic evidence of the tick-infested, malnourished and injured dogs at the pound shocked the public. Many were horrified at how the animals were mistreated, and animal activists cried foul over the ill treatment. Fortunately, there are also many kind-hearted souls who are determined to right the wrong done unto the defenceless, and strive to educate people to treat animals better.

When Joanne Deborah Scott heard that some of the stray dogs in her neighbourhood were put down using rubber bullets, she decided to take matters in her own hands. The 24-year-old photographer decided that she would start with what she could do, such as rescuing and taking in stray dogs and cats.

Annabelle Lim, 15, participates in the dog adoption drive at The Summit USJ in Subang Jaya organised by MDDB on every second Sunday of the month.

Joanne partnered up with her friend Kelvin Koay to set up an animal shelter and sanctuary in Penang four years ago because they just couldn’t stand by and do nothing about the cruelty that animals face.

“It is my duty to help the animals because they cannot speak up on what is done to them. They are basically powerless to do anything,” says Kelvin who shelters, feeds and vaccinates stray dogs and cats sent to the Green Animal Shelter and Sanctuary (GRASS).

At this shelter, they believe strongly in the animals’ sanctity of life; they hold the principle of not putting down their animals and have never had to do so. Joanne and Kelvin have thus far managed to rescue animals and turn their lives around on limited resources.

They keep the animals in their homes temporarily, and convince their friends to open their homes to strays.

The duo, however, believe that ultimately the key to ensuring a better world for animals lies in educating pet owners.

Kelvin believes that biggest mistake an owner makes is not spaying their pets because of the general misconception that neutered animals get fat and lazy.

“This is very irresponsible because when a new litter of puppies is born, the owners do not find a new home for them. Instead, they will leave them at public places like the market, which contributes to the increasing number of stray dogs,” he notes.

Kelvin thinks that some people are cruel to animals because they believe they can get away with it as the penalty for animal abuse or negligence is not severe enough.

Joanne and Kelvin with some of the dogs that they have rescued.

The Section 44 of Animal Ordinance (1953), states that a party found guilty of an offence of cruelty shall be liable to a fine of RM200 or to imprisonment for a term of six months or both. Joanne doesn’t believe that the punishment justifies the cruel acts.

Says Kelvin: “The Government should impose a heavier fine for owners who do not take good care of their pets. All living things deserve a good life and that is what GRASS is doing – trying to find good homes for stray animals so that they will also have the chance to feel how it is like to be loved.

“My main agenda is to have people be more responsible and caring towards pets and other animals.”

One doesn’t even have to be mature to start caring for animals. Mirrsha Dhivya was only five when she found a box with eight newborn kittens. She was on her way back from kindergarten when she heard the kittens mewing pitifully, with their eyes barely open.

Mirrsha and her sister Resha Reya insisted that their mother give the unwanted litter a loving home. Not too long after that, Mirrsha rescued another four kittens. A dozen kittens however proved to be too much of a handful.

“We decided to put them up for adoption. My mother advertised in the newspaper and we managed to give all of them away. We kept one kitten, Ducky,” says Mirrsha, now 13.

Resha (left) and Mirrsha, have helped over 40 cats to find decent homes.

Since then, the girls have been rescuing cats and looking for homes for them.

With their mother’s help, they clean, feed and take the cats to the vet for vaccination and spaying. Of course, their parents are the ones who usually foot the hefty bills.

Mirrsha and Resha have successfully found homes for over 40 cats to date, and have even rescued puppies and birds.

“We found a bird with a broken wing and nursed it until it became healthy. Once it was okay, we set it free,” says Resha, 11. Unfortunately, not everybody is able to turn their homes into animal shelters. For those who are unable to bring the strays to their home, they go to them instead.

Tay Pei Shen and Annabelle Lim may not have started an NGO to rescue animals, but they, too, do what they can. The secondary school students have been volunteering at animal shelters like Paws Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) for more than a year now.

“I just go over to the PAWS shelter and walk, bathe and play with the dogs and cats there,” says Pei Shen, 15.

Annabelle recently organised a donation drive called Pause for PAWS in her school where proceeds went to the animal shelter. She also participates in the dog adoption drive at The Summit USJ shopping centre in Subang Jaya, Selangor, which is organised by MDDB on every second Sunday of the month.

“As a student, there isn’t much I can do for the abused animals but I know that I could help raise funds for the organisations that could actually make a difference. That’s why this year, I’ve chosen not to only help PAWS but also MDDB by running another donation drive at my school,” says Annabelle.

“I just go over to the PAWS shelter and walk, bathe and play with the dogs and cats there,” said Tay Pei Shen, 15.

She notes that while there are adults out there who do not encourage their children to work with animals, her parents have always been different. “My parents are very supportive and are animal lovers themselves. They agree to all the programmes I organise because they know they’re for a good purpose. They were the ones who encouraged me to run the donation drive in school when I first had doubts that the proposal would not be accepted by my school’s management,” she adds.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Rage: Stories: Issues 14th April 2010