(MY) battered stray

[Guest guest]

Save the strays - The Star - 30.12.06

 

BY SHOBA MANO

 

STRAY animals have a hard life living on the streets. If we cannot

lift a hand to feed them even the scraps from our table, the least we

can do is to let them be.

 

Unfortunately, Indonesian migrant workers at a construction site in

Selangor, belonging to developer Kepong Industrial Park Sdn Bhd (KIP

Group), recently added to the woes of stray dogs. By branding them

" haram " , the workers took it upon themselves to beat up one poor dog

on Dec 2.

 

On that day, Sabrina Yeap, managing partner of the Furry Friends Farm

(FFF), was on her way to her animal shelter farm in Kundang when she

saw a dog with his jaw dangling and tongue hanging out, at the

entrance of a construction site.

 

" It was about 9am. I stopped my car to check on the dog. As I

approached it, two eye witnesses told me they saw Indonesian migrant

workers repeatedly calling the dog 'haram' as they attacked it. These

eye-witnesses pleaded with me to help, " said Yeap.

 

She took the dog, which was later named Joy, to the veterinarian.

Joy's lower jaw was so badly crushed it had to be removed. His tongue

was covered in sand and had lacerations and blood clots all over.

 

Animal lovers fussing over Joy. Abdul Rahim and Umi are in the back.

Dr Khiew Lik Jun and Dr Foo Lih Reng of Pet First Veterinary Centre

examined Joy and confirmed that he had been beaten by hard objects.

 

Star Metro reported on Dec 25 that representatives of KIP Group met

with FFF and Independent Pet Rescuers (IPR) to assess what could be

done to rectify the situation.

 

Said Yeap: " I worked as an animal welfare officer for many years. I

have visited construction sites and seen many stray animals cared for

by migrant workers because they find joy and relaxation with them.

 

" The few migrant workers who are unable to find an outlet for their

frustrations take them out on innocent animals which are easy prey

around the construction site. "

 

On Dec 14, animal lovers gathered at a restaurant at Batu Caves to

highlight the plight of Joy and protest the escalating abuse of

animals in Malaysia.

 

Dr Habeeb Rahman Ibramsa, lecturer of Quran and Sunnah Studies at the

International Islamic University, was also present at the gathering.

He criticised the beating as being " un-Islamic " .

 

" People have become ignorant on what the word 'haram' actually means

and use that as an excuse to be cruel towards animals. Haram simply

means prohibited. For instance, Muslims are not to eat the food a dog

has eaten and must wash the vessel containing the food seven times

with water and soil. Refraining from eating that food is what is

haram, not the dog itself.

 

" It has been scientifically proven that there is some element in its

saliva that is harmful to humans. And the minerals in the soil remove

these harmful agents. So it is just a practical guidance. Not made

with the intention of creating hatred for dogs.

 

" This sort of hatred seems to be unique to Malaysia where the

newspapers report of even municipal council authorities cruelly

rounding up and shooting dogs. I lived in Saudi Arabia for eight years

and I have never encountered stories of the public or local

authorities being cruel to animals. "

 

Sherrina Krishnan, IPR founder, expressed anger at the increasing

violence upon animals in Malaysia.

 

" The IPR consists of ordinary Malaysians who formed a group to pick up

strays off the streets and find homes for them. We are doing this out

of necessity because nothing is being done to help these poor animals.

Education is still the best solution to get to the root of the

problem.

 

" People are not taught that pets are for life and should not be dumped

when owners tire of them. The pets they dump end up as strays. Pets

can only enrich our lives if we bond with them, not tie them up all

day to a post, " said Sherrina.

 

Abdul Rahim Abdul Kapur, executive director of Abda Aviation Sdn Bhd,

also wants to dispel the myth that Islam supports cruelty against

animals.

 

" My wife, Umi, and I came to this gathering to support Joy and call

for the need for education on animal welfare, " he said.

 

" We have fed dogs, cats, monkeys and any other animal that is in need.

There are many kind souls in Malaysia from all races and religion but

we can only do so much.

 

" We need the Government to support these effective education

programmes run by animal welfare groups such as the Furry Friends Farm

and the Remembering Sheena Campaign. The Malaysian society cannot do

this alone. "

 

Dr Habeeb added: " The Hadith has several references to the Prophet

Muhammad preaching kindness towards all of God's creatures. In one

instance, he preached that a man saw a dog with its tongue lolling and

due to its intense thirst was licking the mud. The man immediately

filled up his shoe with water and offered the dog to drink. The

Prophet said that God was greatly pleased with the man because God

rewards all kindness shown to every living creature. " Joy was also

present at the gathering. He was subdued and healing from his ordeal,

but pampered by everyone.

 

Joy can now only eat soft food for the rest of his life as he has lost

his lower jaw and his teeth. K.C. Yap and William Quah, former hosts

of the NTV7 programme, My Entertainment, designed posters that were

put up all over the restaurant. The posters, entitled An Ode To Joy,

emphasise the need to educate the public on animal abuse.

 

 

 

# To learn more about how to help create awareness on animal welfare

in Malaysia go to www.remembersheena.blogspot.com.

 

 

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Inadequate protection

 

By SHOBA MANO

 

THE Animal Act 2006 was passed this year without any changes to the

antecedent law governing animal welfare, The Animal Ordinance 1956

( " Ordinance " ).

 

In Malaysia, only the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has the

right to rescue an abused animal and take legal action against the

abusive guardian.

 

The Animal Ordinance came under fire in 2004 when Sabrina Yeap,

formerly of the Society For Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA)

Selangor, became frustrated with animal abusers in Malaysia getting

away with light sentences.

 

Together with SPCA Selangor volunteer, an English lady named Dawn

Peacock, they drafted the SPCA Petition to amend the Animal Ordinance

1956.

 

One of the chief grievances was that the penalty imposed was

inadequate. The penalty is a maximum fine of RM200 or jail term

of six months. The Petition wanted a mandatory jail sentence and the

fine raised to RM10,000, among other things.

 

As a result of abuse, Joy lost his lower jaw.

" Since 1956, only about two or three abusers have been given jail

sentences which were never more than two days, " said Yeap. " That is

why the Petition called for a mandatory sentence so that the court has

no choice but to impose the full jail term. "

 

On Oct 17, 2005, there was public furore once again when magistrate

Hafizah Abdul Rajak let off Lien Chong San, 46, with a token fine of

RM100 even though Lien had pleaded guilty to slowly starving his

German Shepherd, Sheena. Sheena had to be put down in August last year

for humane reasons.

 

The Remembering Sheena Campaign (RSC) held a rally in January this

year to call for more signatures for the Petition. At the rally alone,

about 5600 signatures were submitted.

 

The Petition currently has 67,000 signatures. The deadline for

collecting more signatures has been extended till tomorrow.

 

The Petition will then be handed over to the Prime Minister. In the

meantime, the new Animal Act 2006 has already been passed, and to the

disappointment of animal lovers, not a single provision of the Animal

Ordinance1956 was changed.

 

" Abusers will not be deterred if the penalty imposed for animal abuse

is negligible. What is worse is that often times, the court returns

the abused animals to the abusers even after pronouncing a guilty

verdict. This sends out a message to society that it is all right to

hurt animals, " said Yeap.

 

The abuse cases do not only involve dogs. The Star reported an abuse

case by a cat breeder in an article entitled Witness: Stench Was

Intolerable (The Star, Nov 25, 2005).

 

Abdul Rashid Mohd Othman was charged in court for neglecting the cats

he used for breeding. When Department of Veterinary Services (DVS)

officers went to rescue the cats, the stench was so unbearable the

officers had to step outside the premises a few times for fresh air.

The cats had been forced to lie in small cages alongside their own

faeces.

 

This case is still pending in court.

 

Joshua Purushotman of RSC complained that the attitude of the DVS has

to change too.

 

" Many members of the public have complained to RSC that they receive

no response from DVS when they report an abuse.

 

" In Sheena's case, the newspapers reported that the neighbour

telephoned DVS three times and they still did not investigate, " he

said. By comparison with Asian and Islamic countries, Malaysia is far

behind when it comes to adequate legislation and enforcement of animal

protection laws.

 

United Arab Emirates' laws not only protect domestic pets but also

stray animals. Abuse of an animal is punishable with imprisonment of

up to one year and a fine of not more than RM10,300 or both.

 

India is also leading in increasing number of convictions for animal

abuse with stiff penalties. One court in India stopped the bullock

cart race held during temple festivals because the cows are beaten

with sticks to make them go faster.

 

On Dec 6 this year, Hong Kong passed The Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals (Amendment) Bill 2006 to impose stiffer penalties for animal

cruelty.

 

The fine was increased from US$641 (RM2403) to US$25,641 (RM96,153)

and a jail term of three years. The Hong Kong Government even set up a

hotline to report abuse and citizens can also call the police who are

given authority to arrest abusers.

 

Yet, Malaysia is still groping its way in the world, pursuing

development at the cost of the nation's soul.