More than 100 people outraged by the death of 16 cats and the near-fatal neglect of hundreds more by a pet boarding home, will gather at Sungai Buloh police station tonight to demand that action be taken against the centre.
The owners who sent their cats to the centre over the Hari Raya holidays will report the two operators of the home for criminal neglect.
Together, the group hopes to pressure the authorities to arrest the operators, trace the other outlets they may have, and put them behind bars.
The founder of the NGO, Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better, Parimalawani Muthiah (right), told the enraged crowd at a pre
ss conference today that a standard police report has been made against the boarding home for pets.
“We urge the all the owners who have boarded their cats at the centre to take lodge police reports using this format,” shesaid.
The chairwoman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Christine Chin, said the operators would face RM200 fine or six months’ jail if convicted of animal cruelty under Animal Act 1953.
“With 300 cats rescued, they will be fined for RM60,000, which is close to the amount they earned for the Raya boarding services,” she said.
One of the activists, Bazillah Bahrain, could not help but sob as she recalled what she saw at the boarding home yesterday.
She was one of the volunteers who broke into the center in Damansara Damai and found about 100 cats which were sickly, dehydr
ated and soaked in their own urine.
“I saw a mother cat and a kitten dead facing each other,” she said in tears.
“Three adult cats were trapped in a medium-size pet carrier and their bodies were either wet or covered with shit,” she continued.
She was incredulous when asked about the threat by operators of the home, who are reportedly considering whether to sue the volunteer animal rescuers for trespass. She said the volunteers would stand their ground, earning cheers from those gathered.
The rescued cats were taken to Gasing Veterinary Hospital for treatment. It is known that by now, all the cats have been returned to owners or temporarily adopted by volunteers.
The activists fear that another 100 cats, which some owners have claimed are still missing, are being kept in another house owned by the operators, in Klang.
A pet owner who only wished to be identified as Shariza, said the operator once mentioned that he has another facility in Klang.
“But police didn’t manage to elicit this information from them,” she said.
Muthiah then urged the attendees to pressure the authorities by ringing the police officials to demand action.
Meanwhile, a petition initiated by NGOs calling on Prime Minister Najib Razak to introduce stricter punishments for animal cruelty received overwhelming an response from the crowd, who were upset by the existing, disproportionately light sentences, and under which the SPCA claimed only one person has been jailed, for one night, in the past.
CJMY
