MY - 2 cases on animal cruelty

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Cases of neglect increase during Chinese New Year - The Malay Mail

 

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20:

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The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) receives

many calls on animal neglect in the early part of the year,

particularly during Chinese New Year.

 

There are " five or six calls " daily during the early part of the year

compared to the average two calls daily on animal neglect and cruelty

that SPCA receives on a daily basis, or 60 calls monthly.

 

This is mainly due to irresponsible pet owners who are too stingy to

place their pets at pet shops while away on holiday, or those who were

entrusted with its care, were found to be also negligent.

 

" If the owners are going to be away during the festive season, they

should send their pets for boarding at pet shops. Otherwise, they

should not keep pets, " said SPCA's inspector Sabrina Yeap yesterday.

 

However, during Chinese New Year this year there were fewer complaints

of such nature.

 

Yeap said calls to SPCA about owners beating up their dogs have also increased.

 

There were also cases where dogs had their muzzles sealed with

cellophane tape or rope to stop them from barking.

 

Yeap said that earlier this week, they received a call about a dog

being tied up and which had a cellophane tape around its muzzle.

 

" We had to investigate to see if the case was genuine and catch the

abuser red-handed, " she said.

 

She said SPCA branches in the country have referred some 200 cases of

animal abuse and neglect to the Veterinary Services Department (VSD)

this year.

 

Of the number, 75 per cent were reported to VSD's Kuala Lumpur

enforcement division which has done a good job in handling them.

 

She said some of the pets were confiscated as they either did not have

proper shelters or the owners willingly surrendered them to SPCA,

claiming they could no longer provide shelter for them.

 

 

 

CRUELTY TO DOG: SPCA to appeal to have him jailed - The Malay Mail

PAULINE ALMEIDA

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20:

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The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) will be

filing an appeal with the High Court tomorrow to have the owner who

neglected his German Shepherd face the full brunt of the law for

animal cruelty.

 

 

" We want him to be fined the maximum RM200 and serve six months' jail

to highlight to the public the consequences of abusing an animal. The

RM100 fine is not enough as the dog lost her precious life, " said

SPCA's inspector Sabrina Yeap yesterday.

 

The Animal Ordinance 1953 states that the violator can be fined a

maximum of RM200 or six months jail or both.

 

Yeap said the current fine of RM100 or RM200 will not deter other

abusers from such cruel acts against their dogs.

 

" The Ordinance is 50 years (old). It needs to be revised, " she said.

 

On Tuesday, The Malay Mail reported that the Shah Alam magistrate's

court had on Monday fined engineer Lien Chong San, 46, RM100 for

neglecting his dog named Sheena.

 

The dog was found in a pitiful state by Veterinary Services Department

(VSD) officers in the compound of house No. 38, USJ 17/3B, in Subang

Jaya.

 

The dog was put to sleep by the department's veterinarians as it could

not be saved.

 

Yeap cited a similar case where a fine was not deterrent enough to

stop an owner from abusing and neglecting his dogs.

 

She said three dogs were abandoned during Chinese New Year in January last year.

 

The owner was also fined RM100 for neglecting his three dogs for 10

days at his double-storey link house in Puchong.

 

He went on holiday during the festive season, leaving his three dogs —

a black mongrel, a Boxer and a Doberman — to go hungry.

 

" We were informed of it and with the support of VSD confiscated the

dogs which were kept for a week at the SPCA, " said Yeap.

 

Upon his return from his holidays, the owner wanted the dogs back and

the SPCA surrendered them to him.

 

Eventually, the owner was hauled to court and when the case came up

for hearing, SPCA was informed that he was fined only RM100.

 

" Sadly, he repeated his offence six months later by leaving the dogs

behind when he moved out of the house, " said Yeap.

 

" We were alerted that one of the dogs had died. When we visited the

house, we found the carcass missing, while two other dogs were roaming

the street. "

 

Unfortunately, the dog owner could not be located again.