Monday, February 5, 2018

Caution to eateries feeding, harbouring strays in Sarawak



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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