The Star: Stray dog hunt postponed indefinitely, says Shah Alam Mayor

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THE stray dog task force operation in Setia Alam by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has been postponed indefinitely, says Datuk Cheremi Tarman.

The Shah Alam Mayor said the operation, originally scheduled for April 22 to 24, will be delayed to streamline coordination with animal welfare NGOs.

He also assured the public that MBSA’s practice was to send stray animals to welfare centers.

"MBSA does not put animals to 'sleep' because only veterinary officers are allowed to perform such procedures," he said at a press conference at Wisma MBSA after a meeting with non-governmental agencies on Tuesday (April 2).

He added that MBSA received 3,289 complaints, of which 1,761 were related to disturbances caused by stray dogs last year and 479 complaints from January to March 2024.

The Mayor added that MBSA had initiated two task force operations for stray dogs earlier this year.

“MBSA has handed over a total of 181 dogs from January to February this year,” Cheremi added.

When questioned about reports of dog bites, both from strays and pets, MBSA disclosed that there were 18 recorded cases until March this year and 79 throughout last year.

On Monday (April 1), Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, in a statement on the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page, had expressed her opposition to the council's plans to conduct a stray dog hunt from April 22 to 24, and expressed her sadness on the matter.

It was also reported on Monday that MBSA had confirmed it had no intention of euthanising the strays.

Meanwhile, Selangor executive councillor in charge of local councils Datuk Ng Suee Lim, when contacted, said the state government and the local councils would seek a win-win solution that would appease both the complainants and animal lovers.

“Right now, the state government and local councils are caught between both sides who have contradictory views on stray management methods,’’ he said.

He said the matter would be discussed at the next Local Government Development Standing Committee (Stanco) meeting and urged local councils to review the current methods and practices used in handling stray animals by coming up with better measures.

Ng added he personally liked the method suggested by Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, to neuter street dogs.

"This method will effectively counter the population growth and keep the numbers down," he said.

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