Ngo Told To Prepare Working Paper On Budget For Stray Animal Management

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Among others, the Global Human Rights Federation’s proposals include getting the government to temporarily allocate land in each district to establish shelters for strays.
PETALING JAYA: The housing and local government ministry has asked the Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) to prepare a working paper outlining a budget to manage the growing population of stray animals in the country.
GHRF president S Shashi Kumar said the NGO met with ministry officials on March 4 and suggested that the management of stray animals be privatised and entrusted to animal shelters, with the government providing the necessary budget and resources to support these efforts.
Shashi told FMT that the government seemed to lack a clear mechanism or coherent vision to address the growing population of stray animals in Malaysia, or a budget to manage the issue.
He said the NGO proposed that the ministry implement a trap, neuter, vaccinate, and release (TNVR) programme to control the stray animal population.
Another option would be for the government to temporarily allocate land in each district to establish shelters, providing safe havens for strays and removing them from the streets, said Shashi.
A third option would be a hybrid approach, where some animals are taken into shelters while others are safely returned to their natural environment.
“The ministry’s director-general has requested that GHRF and its team submit a comprehensive working paper outlining the budget required (for this),” he told FMT.
“It was suggested that the next meeting be held in collaboration with the agriculture ministry, during which a working paper outlining the budget required to effectively address the stray animal issue would be presented.”
When contacted, the housing and local government ministry confirmed it had asked GHRF to prepare working papers to outline budgets for the proposed solutions.
Shashi told FMT that the NGO had also stressed to the ministry the need for urgent reforms after claiming that offenders were not held accountable for their actions despite “gruesome acts” of animal cruelty and killings across the country.
He said GHRF highlighted the importance of the 10-point proposal submitted by a coalition of NGOs to Parliament last November, calling for its immediate review and implementation.
The proposals include a call for the government to set up a body under the Prime Minister’s Department to monitor, enforce, and support humane practices in animal welfare nationwide.
This body – which would be separate from the veterinary services department – would oversee local authorities’ compliance with humane practices and address cases of animal cruelty.
The other demands include reforms to the Animal Welfare Act 2015 to prohibit the cruel treatment of strays and harsh capture techniques, mandate a national trap-neuter-release programme, and ensure the strict regulation of animal breeders.
The groups also want animal pounds operated by local authorities to be transformed into no-kill facilities to ensure that rehabilitation and adoptions can take place. - FMT

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