KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - More than 300 stray dogs that were dumped on isolated islands turned to cannibalism after weeks of starvation, animal welfare activists said Thursday.
The plight of the dogs cast away by villagers on two small, uninhabited islands off Malaysia's western Selangor state ignited outrage after activists this week released photographs showing dogs eating the carcasses of ones that had died.
Residents of a fishing village on Pulau Ketam, another island off Selangor, caught the dogs last month and took them to the islands covered in mangroves. The villagers said they never intended to be cruel — they believed the dogs could feed on the deserted islands' wildlife — but wanted to rid their island of dogs that defecate on the streets and sometimes bite children.
A team from the Selangor Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals visited one of the islands — Pulau Selat Kering — on Monday and saw several emaciated dogs "crowded and hunched around something — they were hungrily feasting on the remains of another dog," the SPCA said in a statement.
"Nearby, a weak dog was screaming because several dogs were trying to bite her," it said.
Volunteers have so far rescued two dogs and left food for the others, said SPCA official Jacinta Johnson. They estimate 200 might have survived. Activists would also try to rescue any dogs left on the other island, Pulau Tengah.
Pulau Ketam's residents have said some dogs tried to swim back to their island, about a half-hour boat ride away, but it was not clear how many succeeded.
Efforts to save the dogs have been slow because many were fearful of people and scampered into mangrove swamps when rescuers approached, Johnson said.
Activists have persuaded Pulau Ketam's villagers not to dump any more dogs and are considering measures such as sterilization and relocation to ease problems posed by an estimated 2,000 stray dogs, the SPCA said.
Please Save The DOGs
How can people be so cruel to the dogs just dumped them in a hell island full of snakes and brunches without any food and water? Don't you believe in karma, imagine one day if you were dumped like the dogs, how do you feel?
Thank God still have some nice people who volunteers to rescue and save those dogs from the hell island. For us that we can't help in rescuing the dog from the island, may be at least what we can do now is to donate.
Please visit this LINK for more information about the donation, progress of rescuing and all the updates.
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I visited the Pulau Ketam few times. I never thought of friendly villagers over there could be this cruel. But who were them to be blamed when they were paid RM90/dog. Catch 1 dog can feed their whole family for a week. Should blame those who came out with this kind of solution to get rid of stray dogs. :(
ReplyDeleteHope this incident could be everyone's lesson.