Animal Lovers Traumatised After 11 Dogs Found Poisoned At Cherating Beach
"This poison that they use kills the dog within 15 minutes in a very painful and cruel way," she added.
By Parvinsivam Thirunamakarasu — 10 May 2023, 03:11 PM
The community in Kampung Cherating Lama, Pahang are fearful for their furry friends following a series of tragic dog poisonings at Pantai Cherating
According to New Straits Times, 11 dogs were found dead between December 2022 and 22 March 2023.
The dogs allegedly died from ingesting chicken meat that was laced with poison and placed near restaurants along the beach.
Tunku Lydia Ilma Tunku Abdul Ilal, an animal activist in Kampung Cherating Lama, said the dogs were all strays that have been spayed and given licences by the Kuantan City Council
Lydia, who shares updates on the animals on the @cheratinggoodboys Instagram page, said the dogs were nurtured by the Cherating community, but their lives were tragically cut short.
She mentioned that people frequently abandon their pets near the chalets and restaurants.
"We focus on catching, neutering, and releasing the strays, besides vaccinating some of them," Lydia explained.
The 38-year-old said the perpetrator could be someone who is aware of the dogs' presence and well-versed with the surroundings.
Lydia added that they also found the remains of six cats and four chickens, but are unsure of how those animals died.
Cheeza, one the many dogs who got poisoned at Cherating Beach.
Image via @cheratinggoodboys (Instagram)She also shared a few gut-wrenching stories of the dogs that had to meet such tragic deaths
"One of the most heart-wrenching incidents occurred in December last year, when a female dog that had just given birth to eight puppies one week before was killed by poisoned meat," she said.
In another incident, a man took his dog out for a walk when it ate something near the beach and began experiencing seizures and frothing at the mouth, before passing away.
In a brief conversation with SAYS, Lydia shared three measures that the authorities could practise to reduce such inhumane actions
"First is education, especially on a religious level, that poisoning and torturing isn't the way to go about in solving the problem of strays. And just general empathy for the other creatures that share our earth," she explained.
Lydia also hoped for harsher punishments against people who are guilty of animal cruelty and tighter restrictions on the buying and selling of poisons meant to kill pests.
"The poison we believe is responsible for these killings can be bought easily on Shopee. Unlike rat poison, we can still save the animals if we bring them to the vet on time. However, this poison that they use kills the dog within 15 minutes in a very painful and cruel way," she added.
Lydia and another dog owner have reported the incidents to the police and the veterinary department.
