Rising number of strays, animal bites alarming, says Miri City Council
According to Deputy Miri Mayor Ariffin Mohamad, the Miri Divisional Health Office recorded close to 800 animal bite cases throughout the Division up until April this year.
He said these cases, which were reported by clinics, hospitals and medical centres, were subsequently submitted by the health office to the Miri City Council (MCC).
'Based on the health office's report, animal bite cases can involve both stray animals and pets with owners. Nevertheless, this is a serious matter especially in light of state-wide concerns about rabies,' he told reporters during a press briefing held after a full council meeting yesterday at the Miri City Hall here.
Ariffin said MCC's enforcement team remains on standby to respond promptly to any reports of strays or unleashed pets that may pose a threat to the local community.
Meanwhile, MCC councillor Tan Lek Jin, who was also present at the briefing, revealed that in the past two months alone he had received at least five complaints about stray animals intruding into private properties and causing disturbances to business owners.
'Stray animals have always been a challenging issue to resolve. These recent case have not only caused financial losses but also raised significant safety concerns,' he said, urging the public to report such incidents to the council.
However, he noted that a surcharge would be applied for the removal of the stray animal from private property, with each dog costing about RM150 to capture.
The Borneo Post spoke to a complainant, Ken Leong, who recently lodged a report about stray dogs creating a nuisance at his factory in Senadin.
He said despite his repeated efforts to chase the dogs away, they continued to return and even gave birth to a litter of puppies on the premises.
'For two or three months now, they have been here, and the longer they stay, the more problems they created,' said Leong.
He had given away the puppies but was unable to catch the adult dogs, making the situation more difficult to manage.
Leong expressed hope that the council could step in to resolve the issue, however, upon learning about the surcharge, he could not help but sigh in frustration.
'I might just take the matter into my own hands by taking these dogs far away from here and drop them to prevent them from creating problem here. I have checked with the local animal shelter, they have their hands full, so I have no choice,' he said. — The Borneo Post
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