Saturday December 30, 2006
Save the strays
BY SHOBA MANO
STRAY animals have a hard life living on the streets. If we cannot lift a hand to feed them even the scraps from our table, the least we can do is to let them be.
Unfortunately, Indonesian migrant workers at a construction site in Selangor, belonging to developer Kepong Industrial Park Sdn Bhd (KIP Group), recently added to the woes of stray dogs. By branding them “haram”, the workers took it upon themselves to beat up one poor dog on Dec 2.
On that day, Sabrina Yeap, managing partner of the Furry Friends Farm (FFF), was on her way to her animal shelter farm in Kundang when she saw a dog with his jaw dangling and tongue hanging out, at the entrance of a construction site.
“It was about 9am. I stopped my car to check on the dog. As I approached it, two eye witnesses told me they saw Indonesian migrant workers repeatedly calling the dog ‘haram’ as they attacked it. These eye-witnesses pleaded with me to help,” said Yeap.
She took the dog, which was later named Joy, to the veterinarian. Joy’s lower jaw was so badly crushed it had to be removed. His tongue was covered in sand and had lacerations and blood clots all over.
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Animal lovers fussing over Joy. Abdul Rahim and Umi are in the back. |
Star Metro reported on Dec 25 that representatives of KIP Group met with FFF and Independent Pet Rescuers (IPR) to assess what could be done to rectify the situation.
Said Yeap: “I worked as an animal welfare officer for many years. I have visited construction sites and seen many stray animals cared for by migrant workers because they find joy and relaxation with them.
“The few migrant workers who are unable to find an outlet for their frustrations take them out on innocent animals which are easy prey around the construction site.”
On Dec 14, animal lovers gathered at a restaurant at Batu Caves to highlight the plight of Joy and protest the escalating abuse of animals in Malaysia.
Dr Habeeb Rahman Ibramsa, lecturer of Quran and Sunnah Studies at the International Islamic University, was also present at the gathering. He criticised the beating as being “un-Islamic”.
“People have become ignorant on what the word ‘haram’ actually means and use that as an excuse to be cruel towards animals. Haram simply means prohibited. For instance, Muslims are not to eat the food a dog has eaten and must wash the vessel containing the food seven times with water and soil. Refraining from eating that food is what is haram, not the dog itself.
“It has been scientifically proven that there is some element in its saliva that is harmful to humans. And the minerals in the soil remove these harmful agents. So it is just a practical guidance. Not made with the intention of creating hatred for dogs.
“This sort of hatred seems to be unique to Malaysia where the newspapers report of even municipal council authorities cruelly rounding up and shooting dogs. I lived in Saudi Arabia for eight years and I have never encountered stories of the public or local authorities being cruel to animals.”
Sherrina Krishnan, IPR founder, expressed anger at the increasing violence upon animals in Malaysia.
“The IPR consists of ordinary Malaysians who formed a group to pick up strays off the streets and find homes for them. We are doing this out of necessity because nothing is being done to help these poor animals. Education is still the best solution to get to the root of the problem.
“People are not taught that pets are for life and should not be dumped when owners tire of them. The pets they dump end up as strays. Pets can only enrich our lives if we bond with them, not tie them up all day to a post,” said Sherrina.
Abdul Rahim Abdul Kapur, executive director of Abda Aviation Sdn Bhd, also wants to dispel the myth that Islam supports cruelty against animals.
“My wife, Umi, and I came to this gathering to support Joy and call for the need for education on animal welfare,” he said.
“We have fed dogs, cats, monkeys and any other animal that is in need. There are many kind souls in Malaysia from all races and religion but we can only do so much.
“We need the Government to support these effective education programmes run by animal welfare groups such as the Furry Friends Farm and the Remembering Sheena Campaign. The Malaysian society cannot do this alone.”
Dr Habeeb added: “The Hadith has several references to the Prophet Muhammad preaching kindness towards all of God’s creatures. In one instance, he preached that a man saw a dog with its tongue lolling and due to its intense thirst was licking the mud. The man immediately filled up his shoe with water and offered the dog to drink. The Prophet said that God was greatly pleased with the man because God rewards all kindness shown to every living creature. ”Joy was also present at the gathering. He was subdued and healing from his ordeal, but pampered by everyone.
Joy can now only eat soft food for the rest of his life as he has lost his lower jaw and his teeth. K.C. Yap and William Quah, former hosts of the NTV7 programme, My Entertainment, designed posters that were put up all over the restaurant. The posters, entitled An Ode To Joy, emphasise the need to educate the public on animal abuse.
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