PETALING JAYA, May 15 — The man who shot a dog twice with his bow and arrows in Taming Jaya, Balakong, on Tuesday will be detained as soon as possible.
Kajang OCPD ACP Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab said, action was initiated after an individual lodged a police report at the Taming Jaya station yesterday regarding the incident.
“We will nab him as soon as we know his whereabouts and we are investigating the case under Section 429 of the Penal Code for mischief towards animals,” he told Malay Mail.
Photographs of the dog with arrows lodged in its body went viral over the social media yesterday with members of the public and animal activists condemning the cruel action.
It was reported that the man had shot two arrows at the dog after it stood outside his gate and refused to leave.
Meanwhile, animal rights activists, who reacted with dismay over the incident, want the culprit punished.
Malaysian Animal Rights Society president N. Surendran said the culprit can also be charged under the Section 44 of the Animal Act 2006 for animal cruelty and if convicted, he faces a RM200 fine or six months jail or both.
Surendran, who is also co-founder of law reform advocate NGO Lawyers for Liberty, said the culprit also committed an offence under the penal code for having a dangerous weapon and discharging it in public.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals patron Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye expressed outrage at the shooting, saying the shooter’s actions were “unjustified and despicable”.
Lee said he hoped the implementation of the Animal Welfare Bill 2012, which currently sits in the Attorney-General chambers, would be able to effectively deter such occurrences in the future.
“Now people are undeterred from performing such acts, especially in light of weak enforcement from authorities when it comes to animal cruelty,” said Lee.
Besides drastically increased penalties for performing cruel acts to animals, the new bill includes provisions for owners that fail to care for their animals correctly.
Lee also lamented the lack of responsibility among animal owners, saying if they were unable to care for animals properly, they should look for help from societies instead of leaving them on the streets.
“Doing this will make the dogs strays and they will move from place to place, searching for food and in some cases, becoming nuisances to surrounding neighbourhoods,” he said.
A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was driving home from work when he saw the dog in front of the house, and the shooter standing nearby, bow and arrows in hand.
“I came out my car immediately and told the man to stop shooting the dog.
“After moving the dog to a safer place, I fed the dog and removed the arrows from its body,” he said.
He said he felt the shooter’s actions were “barbaric and cruel”, especially when he learned the dog, estimated to be around 10 years of age, was blind.
Following the incident, the dog was adopted by non-profit canine welfare Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better and warded in a veterinary clinic in Subang Jaya for treatment.
