As
reported in The Borneo Post (6/2/2018), eatery operators may risk having their
business licence suspended or even revoked if they are found to be feeding and
harbouring stray animals at their business premises. This was according to Sarawak
Veterinary Association (SVA) president Dr Chuo Hock Tieng. Dr. Chuo also said that
owners may face the same penalty if their customers are the ones feeding the
strays, as stated under Section 145 of the Local Authority Ordinance 1996.
“Once
you feed a stray at an eatery, the stray will most likely remain in that area
as it knows where to get its food,” said Chuo in a press conference on rabies
awareness here yesterday.
He
also stressed that the local councils should take a more proactive role in
catching the remaining strays at commercial and residential zones as quickly as
possible to curb the spread of the rabies virus, which claimed its latest human
victim here on Sunday.
“Please
do it (catching of strays) properly. Do not do it halfway as it will defeat the
purpose,” he added.
Sarawak
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) president Datin Dona
Drury-Wee, who was also present at the press conference, had added that those
who like to feed stray animals should do so away from eateries so that the
animals would not associate the eateries with food, thus becoming habitually
lingering at the eateries for food.
She
said it is also more hygienic for the feeding of strays to be done at a
distance from eateries, while also advising against the use of plastic or
polystyrene food packs when feeding strays to avoid leaving behind an
unnecessary mess. The use of a clean bowl would be ideal.
In
view of the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration, Wee reminded pet owners to provide
a quiet and enclosed place and start training the pet to familiarize that such place
could be for hiding in time of stress such as the fireworks during the festive
seasons.
“Some
animals get very distressed during this period and tend to run off in fear. Keep
your pet dogs or cats inside during fireworks; the best would be with some
human companionship. You could place your pet in a closet or keep it in a cage
with a box it can hide in,” she added.
She
also said it was important for pets to have proper identification tags,
preferably with the owner’s contact number on it, in case it runs out and gets
lost.
Wee
also stressed that owners should not bring their pets back to their hometown
with them during the festive season to prevent the movement of animals and the
spread of the virus.
On
another note, both SVA and SSCPA lauded the move by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk
Amar Douglas Uggah in signing the Anti-Rabies Vaccination Order on Feb 2. Under
the order, it has become compulsory for all pet owners throughout Sarawak to
vaccinate their dogs – regardless whether they live in an outbreak or
non-outbreak area.
To
further curb the spread of the virus, two anti-rabies mass vaccination
exercises will be held at the Stampin Resettlement Scheme community hall and at
the SUPP Tupong multi-purpose hall on Feb 10. A similar exercise will also be
held in Miri on Feb 11.
Those
who do not have the time or means to send their pets to the mass vaccination
programme are advised to visit www.sarawakvet.blogspot.com to get a full list
of veterinary clinics in their respective division.
Starting
yesterday, dogs that receive anti-rabies jab will also be given an anti-rabies
vaccination record card as proof of vaccination.
For
further information, kindly refer to the The Borneo Post article published on 6/2/2018.
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