Animal shelter workers should be allowed to work to ensure rescued cats and dogs are taken care of.
Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) Selangor patron Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye admitted the government may have overlooked the roles of those who serve at such shelters.
He hopes exemptions will be made towards this end following the Movement Control Order which started on March 18.
“I believe the authorities overlooked this matter. Given that we are addressing a serious issue, obviously many would think about human lives first,” said Lee.
“But if animal shelters are locked down, the animals will die. This is something that must be avoided.”
Lee said society must look at animal welfare in the same way as that of human beings.
It is understood some animal shelter workers are finding it tough explaining their roles when stopped by enforcement authorities. Twentytwo13 learnt of a worker in the Klang Valley who was stopped twice during a roadblock and was later told to get a letter from the government that will allow such workers to continue working.
“I’ve not been informed of any such incident involving SPCA Selangor staff but having said that, some form of exemption must be made for legitimate workers. Of course, only those who are accredited should be allowed to work, that too in minimal numbers, as the order must be respected.”
Some animal lovers claim that dumping cases have increased and the shutdown could result in more pets being left out in the cold.
A shelter lover, who declined to be named, said: “We’ve generally seen more dumping than adoption. The usual excuses are that they have to move to condominiums or they no longer have maids (to take care of their pets).”
“Cats and dogs are long-term commitments as they live between 10 and 15 years. Sadly, not many people see it that way and give up along the way.
“They will then dump their pets at shelters. It’s sad as we can only accommodate so many and it’s the same with other shelters.”
