KOTA KINABALU: A local animal activist recently received a multimedia message (MMS) telling of a dog that is allegedly being ill-treated by its owner in Taman Putera Jaya, Telipok.
Apparently, neighbours had been hearing the dog howling in pain for weeks. In the MMS picture sent by one of the neighbours, the dog was seen to be tied up too tightly.
Not knowing exactly what to do, they turned to Sam Lau and asked if there is something that can be done to save the dog and to put an end to the nuisance its howling had been causing.
Lau then visited the house of the owner mentioned, with the intention of ‘educating’ the owner on the proper way of tying up a dog.
“Instead of welcoming the idea or even feeling any sense of remorse, the owner turned angry, told me off and asked me never to bother him again,” said Lau.
He then turned to the police to back him up and ‘rescue’ the dog to hand it over to the relevant authority.
Lau was met with further disappointment when he was told by the police that they could not do anything, due to “not being sure of the laws pertaining to animal rights”.
“I even showed to the police that it is stated in the State of Sabah – Cruelty to Animals (Prevention) Ordinance (Sabah CAP 31) that they can intervene, but they still refused to do so.
“This begs the question; what is the use for such law to exist if they are treated as obsolete and even an authority like the police does not know its functions and worse still, its existence?
“Is our society that blind towards animal rights? This is such a pity!” said Lau.
He urged for animal-related authorities to play their roles more actively and help normal citizens carry out their societal responsibility better by responding towards issues and matters that they bring up regarding animal cruelty.