The Selangor state government plans to establish a 10-acre centralised pound for stray animals caught within the Klang Valley by next year, announced state exco member Dr Xavier Jayakumar at a seminar on animal cruelty, today.
He said the pound would be used by local councils in the Klang Valley and there will be standard operating procedures to handle strays.
“The pound can be used to educate the public on animal welfare and students can be invited to visit to get hands-on knowledge on animal handling,” he said.
Currently, local councils in Selangor have distinct sets of practices on the handling of strays; while MBPJ transfers them to NGOs for adoption, Klang Municipal Council (MPK) puts them down after one week.
No microchipping of dogs for now
Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion of World Animal Day, Jayakumar also noted that the state is considering capping the maximum number of cats allowed in each house.
“We plan a cap of two cats each house to regulate cat breeding”. he said.
He also said pet licensing will also be reviewed and eventually every local council will have the same licensing fees.
On the issue of microchipping dogs, Jayakumar said the result of a pilot project done by Selayang Municipal Council has shown that this a costly measure.
“Right now the microchip alone is RM16, but altogether, with the consultation and examination fees, the total cost of microchipping one dog is RM48,”
“We will look into implementing microchipping in stages.” he said.
200-acre cow farm for city cowboys
On another note, a 200-acre cow farm equipped with basic facilities has been set up in Hulu Selangor to accommodate herders who still rear their cows next to swanky housing projects.
Jayakumar said each herder will be given 10 acres of land but they need to build their own cow sheds.
“We will give them six months grace period to move into the cow farm, “ he said.
Jayakumar was accompanied by MBPJ council president Roslan Sakiman and councillor Anthony Thanasayan.
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