KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 — The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) is not proceeding with a planned campaign to cull strays later this month, sources claimed after the Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor criticised the programme as inhumane yesterday.
The sources said that the MBSA made the decision after meeting with non-governmental groups this afternoon, and would allow them to conduct Trap, Neuter, Release, and Manage (TNRM) programmes in lieu.
“Officially, the operation will be put on hold by MBSA. MBSA will allow the local rescuers to try to TNRM,” said the source.
The decision comes after Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin told local authorities to find non-lethal alternatives to manage stray animal populations in the state, expressing her disappointment over learning that MBSA were planning the culling exercise from April 22-24.
The Tengku Permaisuri is the Royal Patron of the Stray Free Selangor (SFS) campaign run by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Animals (SPCA).
Malay Mail has contacted the MBSA for its response to the matter.
It was reported recently that the MBSA was planning a task force to catch and kill 500 stray dogs in the area. It even proposed rewarding volunteers with RM30 for each dog caught during the exercise.
According to MBSA’s notice of the operation, dogs caught cannot be claimed and will be brought to the council’s animal shelter to be killed.
Animal welfare groups condemned this move, calling for a more humane method to reduce the population of stray dogs.
