Photo via Facebook
The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has explained the rationale behind its recent viral banner, which stated that feeding stray animals is prohibited and a fine will be imposed on those who do so.
In a statement released on their Facebook page, MBSA said the banner is a way to educate the public to not feed the strays.
It also believes that the banners are a way to raise awareness among the public to work with them in handling this problem.
They say they’ve found that feeding these animals has inadvertently increased the number of strays in the surrounding area.
#KitaJagaKita #KitaMestiMenang [KENYATAAN] PENJELASAN PEMASANGAN KAIN RENTANG BERHUBUNG ISU MEMBERI MAKAN KEPADA HAIWAN TERBIAR/BERKELIARAN.
Posted by Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam on Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Animal Welfare Association told Astro Radio News that the authorities should work closely with NGOs on a short and long-term plan to tackle the issue of strays in a more humane manner.
The Association said by feeding these homeless animals, you will reduce the chances of them digging through your rubbish bins.
However, the downside to this is that they will continue expecting more food.
As such it has urged the public to only feed strays at an isolated place that is away from crowds or any form of movement.
Earlier, the Malaysian Animal Association had also suggested coming up with more reasonable steps such as building a feeding station or a designated place for the public to feed strays.
For your information, The Netherlands became a country with no stray dogs because of an extensive sterilisation program.
Also, the government introduced laws to protect animal welfare.
Currently, The Netherlands claim they have 0 stray dogs and most pets owned by citizens are adopted.
by Roshini Ravindran and Kyle Roshen Jacob
