Animal Rights Group Criticises MBS' RM50 Cash Reward Scheme For Capturing Stray Dogs

The Seremban City Council (MBS) recently announced a voluntary stray dog handover programme aimed at reducing the stray dog population within its administrative area.

According to a Facebook post by MBS, the programme, which is scheduled to begin on 24 August, offers cash incentives to members of the public who surrender stray dogs. Participants will receive RM50 for each adult dog and RM25 for each puppy under six months old.

While the initiative is intended to improve public cleanliness and safety, it has drawn criticism from animal rights advocates.

Concerns over safety and accountability

Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh of Lawyers for Animal Rights said the cash incentive programme poses several risks, including the possibility of pet dogs being wrongly captured and surrendered.

According to the lawyers, dog catching has been recognised by the Department of Veterinary Services as a high-risk activity that should only be carried out by trained personnel.

"MBS knows the risks, but instead of deploying trained personnel, it pays members of the public to undertake the dangerous task themselves and shifts the risk onto them."

"The scheme is even more troubling because applicants may surrender unlicensed dogs with no proof of ownership, based solely on their declaration that the dog belongs to no one. A dog without a licence is not necessarily an ownerless dog," they said, as reported by FMT.

The two lawyers also alleged that animal welfare NGOs experienced in rescue work, trap-neuter-release-manage (TNRM) programmes and humane animal handling were excluded from the initiative.

They added, "Malaysia just witnessed the tragic consequences of the animal-capture operation involving Rocky. The lesson should be clear: animal capture must become more professional and humane, not a cash bounty system."

Programme comes with conditions

Image Credit: The Star

Meanwhile, MBS Mayor Datuk Masri Baharuddin stressed that participants must meet several requirements before they can claim the incentive.

Among the conditions are:

• Applicants must be Malaysian citizens residing within the MBS administrative area.
• Dogs surrendered must be alive and show no signs of abuse or serious injury.
• The dogs must be unlicensed and have no proof of ownership.

According to Masri, all surrendered dogs will be handed over to local NGOs, which will work with the council to relocate the animals to appropriate locations.

Individuals interested in adopting dogs surrendered through the programme may do so for a fee of RM250 per dog. The adopted dogs must also be neutered beforehand.

Featured Image Credit: Facebook, The Sun Malaysia