Do you hate animals, activist asks Aminuddin over rush to cull stray dogs
An animal welfare activist has hit back at Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun for defending the state-sanctioned culling of stray dogs, asking if the state chief executive considers himself an animal hater.
This followed Aminuddin’s statement yesterday, where he criticised NGOs and activists for holding a protest against the policy and urged them to adopt all the stray dogs instead.
Summary
Activist S Shashi Kumar asks why the state is rushing to cull stray animals, pointing to an ongoing discussion between NGOs and Putrajaya on better mechanisms to address the problem.
It follows Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun yesterday chiding animal welfare NGOs for protesting the state policy to cull stray dogs, saying they should adopt the animals instead.
Shashi says dogs are not to be feared and suggests authorities increase public awareness on how to treat the canine.
An animal welfare activist has hit back at Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun for defending the state-sanctioned culling of stray dogs, asking if the state chief executive considers himself an animal hater.
This followed Aminuddin’s statement yesterday, where he criticised NGOs and activists for holding a protest against the policy and urged them to adopt all the stray dogs instead.
S Shashi Kumar of the Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) questioned the state’s motive in going ahead with the stray cullings when discussion is ongoing between the NGOs and Putrajaya to find a better mechanism to address the increasing population of stray animals.
“We have proposed three suggestions on what can be done to reduce the number of stray dogs. All the working papers and budget (estimation) have been submitted to the government last month.
“We plan to have a meeting with the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry next, because the Veterinary Services Department is under the ministry. And they have agreed to it.
“So, now, when discussion is ongoing, why are they (Negeri Sembilan) being hasty to continue culling the stray animals?” he told Malaysiakini.
Why not adopt?
Aminuddin reportedly criticised NGOs and activists who staged a protest against the Negeri Sembilan government last week.
According to Sinar Harian, the menteri besar said they will still go ahead with their culling operations, and those against the policy can do better than protesting: by adopting the strays and taking care of them.
Aminuddin also claimed that NGOs have been given land plots to carry out animal shelter programmes, but some had allegedly released the strays they rescued to public places.
In response to this, Shashi questioned the menteri besar’s sincerity in offering NGOs to claim the strays from government animal pounds.
He claimed that many local authorities demand NGOs pay a hefty fee for every animal they want to claim, some ranging between RM1,000 and RM2,000.
“Adoption should be free because these are stray animals, and there is no owner. Why do I have to pay RM1,000?
“Any local council would demand payment for every stray dog they catch,” the activist said.
Shashi also refuted the state government’s argument that stray dogs pose a risk to public safety.
He said stray dogs are normally friendly and not aggressive if they are left alone and unprovoked.
Instead, the activist suggested authorities increase educational programmes to make the public better understand dogs and how to treat them.
