Cops Open Fresh Probe Into Dead Cats On Um Campus

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Independent animal rescuer Shima Aris yesterday said the veterinary services department, police and Universiti Malaya should investigate further the discovery of the dead cats on campus grounds.
PETALING JAYA: Police have launched a new investigation into the death of several cats at the Universiti Malaya (UM) campus here following an independent rescuer’s call for a fresh probe into the case.
In a statement, Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Isa said the investigation paper opened is in connection with the dead cats and remarks made by Shima Aris.
“Statements from the parties involved will be recorded on Thursday,” he said, without elaborating who will be summoned.
Yesterday, Shima disputed the police’s findings on the dead cats found on the university’s grounds and stressed the importance of the veterinary services department (DVS), police and UM to probe the matter further and inform the public of their findings.
Police had previously said the dead cats were likely attacked by a pack of stray dogs.
Rusdi said police reached the conclusion after reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the surrounding areas, while DVS had also confirmed that the injuries found on the cats were caused by wild animals.
Shima, however, said that a post-mortem carried out by a private clinic on one of the carcasses found lesions that were “highly likely” caused by sharp objects.
The legs of the cat, which she named Lily, also appeared to have been severed.
Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan also questioned whether DVS had conducted post-mortems on the dead cats and criticised the police for classifying the cases as “no further action”.
Rajesh said the cats could have been dismembered by a “psychopath” and called for the maximum punishment under the Animal Welfare Act 2015 to be imposed on the offender, if arrested and convicted.
Two dead cats were found at UM’s Faculty of Business and Economics on Dec 12 and 16, leading to the lodging of a report by the UM Student Union on Dec 17.
Another report, filed on Dec 20, involved the deaths of four cats in different locations on the campus. - FMT

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