Lo (right) and Ng (left) listening to a briefing from Loh after the operation’s launch today. – Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Dog owners in the Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) area have been advised against letting their pets roam around freely today and tomorrow, as the council is conducting operations to catch stray dogs.
According to MPP chairman Lo Khere Chiang, the operation was carried out following numerous complaints from members of the public who said that there are many stray dogs roaming their area.
“We received many complains of stray dogs in areas such as Kuching City Mall, MJC Batu Kawa, Moyan Square and Matang Jaya.
“This operations are also among our initiatives to curb the spread of or prevent an outbreak of the rabies which can be transmitted to humans through animal bites,” he said during the launch of the operation today.
Lo said MPP received 189 complaints of stray dogs during the first six months of this year and had so far caught 394 stray dogs.
“We still received many complaints because we believe the number these stray dogs multiply very fast,” he added.
Lo, who is Batu Kitang assemblyman, also said that some of the dogs roaming in the council’s area might not be strays but were let out by their owners.
Lo called out the dog owners who let their dogs out freely as the dogs might endanger the public and could potentially spread rabies.
“Recent cases of dog bites are worrying as apart from worrying about the Covid-19, we also have rabies virus to worry about. Rabies is still a threat in our area so we must take precautionary measures,” he said.
During the operation today, MPP personnel went to areas such as Kuching City Mall, Desa Wira, MJC Batu Kawa, Batu Kawa Old Bazaar, Moyan Square, Taman Moyan and Taman Genesis.
They will go to areas such as Taman Seri Makmur Flats, Taman Kopodims, Taman Matang Jaya, Lee Ling Commercial Centre and Taman Lee Ling tomorrow to conduct the same operation.
Also present during the operations launching ceremony were MPP corporate and community development division head Ng Siang Wei and secretary Elizabeth Loh.
BY MATTHEW TIMBANG ON NEWS, SARAWAK