Tiger Being Abused For Money

Saturday May 22, 2010
Uproar over abused tiger claim
By MARTIN CARVALHO and JASON LIOH
Star

MALACCA: A 500ha resort in Alor Gajah, with its own safari, has attracted the attention of animal lovers and authorities here over a video clip on the Internet allegedly showing the abuse of a drugged tiger during a photography session.

The two-minute clip first appeared on YouTube in February with the title “Tiger Being Abused For Money.”

It shows what seems to be a heavily sedated tiger on a raised platform and occasionally being propped up by its handler.

The recording also includes an audio recording of an unknown person questioning, in Cantonese, the alleged mistreatment of the tiger.

The person also mentions that she was told that patrons had to fork out RM15 to pose for photographs with the tiger.

When contacted, Malacca Society Against the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) president Vincent Low said he was not shocked by such allegations as they had received complaints about the resort previously.

“It is a wild animal and should not be subjected to such treatment. Not only is it inhumane to treat the tiger in such a manner, it is also dangerous for patrons,” he said.

A Famosa Resort general manager Allan Chee denied the abuse allegation.

“There is no evidence that the tiger was drugged or abused by its handler,” he said, adding that he was aware of the video clip and had received numerous inquiries from the public.

Chee said the animal was a captive-bred tiger and was considered very tame and comfortable around humans.

“Tigers are nocturnal and those here are very well fed and become very lazy and lethargic during the mid-morning. So, it is natural that the handlers had to use extra coaxing to move the heavy tiger into position,” he said.

He also denied the resort charged RM15 for patrons to take photographs with the tiger.

“We only charge patrons if they ask us to photograph them with our instant camera,” he said.

A check revealed the resort had removed all negative comments from its Facebook fan page.

It is learnt that WWF Malaysia had also received numerous complaints over the video and had advised those concerned to take it up with the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

It is learnt that SPCA had submitted its recommendation to the department to ensure that animals at the resort were not abused.

Video posted here

Cats and dogs, living together ... no longer

Sunday August 24, 2008
Staronline
By VIJENTHI NAIR BAILAND

KUALA LUMPUR: Due to financial difficulties and deteriorating health, a woman in her 30s surrendered 40 cats and kittens to SPCA Selangor recently.

She had mortgaged her four-bedroom house and went off to Sabah to live with her parents and care for her own health.

After the death of her husband and having no children around, Siti (not her real name) resorted to taking in cats from the streets in Seremban where she lived to her home as companions to rid her of her loneliness.

"Siti rescued cats from the streets and at one time brought in three cats with their kittens that added up to 40. She spent up to RM1,500 per month to feed the cats which she had for about a year," said SPCA Selangor front office manager M. Chelvy.

"Siti said she loved her cats and took care of them like they were her children. All her cats were clean and appeared to be in good health when turned in," said Chelvy, adding that all the cats were also neutered and toilet trained.

Chelvy said this case highlights the importance of neutering pets and community animals to control their population and not overcrowd animal shelters.

Dying To Be Rescued

Scenes of starvation and death greeted tourists who signed up for horse riding on the beach while enjoying their holiday in Sabah, Malaysia.

The tourists had visited the Melinsung ranch located 20 mins South of Kota Kinabalu to sign up for the activity. What they found left them sickened. Starving and weak horses, some unable to stand, were kept in dirty paddocks and stables in and around the ranch. The horses had skin diseases, open wounds and infected sores, and there were reports of many dead and dying horses.

The tourists reported the distressing scenes to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) in June 2007. Photos of the sick animals, posted on a forum in New Zealand, also reached WSPA, which quickly contacted its member society, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Selangor, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to pressure the authorities to do something about the situation.

The SPCA reported the problem to the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) in Sabah through the central DVS in Kuala Lumpur. The DVS enforces Malaysia’s animal protection law, and visited the horrific site in June 2007 (and a follow up visit January 2008), and decided it would simply monitor the case and work with the owner to improve the conditions of the horses. The owner of the Ranch is Datuk Abdul Ghani Rashid, ex-Mayor of Kota Kinabalu. When the DVS visited the ranch in June there were 70 horses. Now latest reports from SPCA Representative Sue Quek, state that “There are only around 30 left and animals are still suffering and dying.”

The SPCA was hoping the horses would be confiscated, and offered its help. But now SPCA officers say they’re devastated nothing appears to have been done, and the animals were apparently being offered for sale.

“SPCA has urged DVS Sabah to act quickly to alleviate the suffering of the pitiful horses and push for prosecution,” says Christine Chin, SPCA Selangor Chairman.

Sue Quek said: "The DVS has the power to confiscate animals from owners and to prosecute for animal cruelty under the CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (PREVENTION) ORDINANCE (Sabah Cap.31) 1968 law that says it is an offence to cause 'unnecessary suffering' to animals. In July 2007, the SPCA stood by with resources and skills to save these horses and rehabilitate them and send them on to loving caring homes. But our offer was not taken up."

“We heard in January 2008 that the horses were in a worse condition, more were dead and others that couldn’t stand were being sold for meat. We believe the DVS provided feed for the horses but it appears very little improvement in their condition has been achieved,” says Dawn Peacock, Member Society Manager for WSPA.

“We have heard that DVS Putrajaya visited the ranch recently and that DVS Sabah are in the process of removing the horses, but we have not received official confirmation from them. We hope that DVS Sabah will act to confiscate the remaining horses quickly, to prevent more horses from suffering and death – any more delays in action would result in a tragic loss of innocent lives. We certainly hope that DVS will prosecute the owner of the Ranch for causing unnecessary suffering.” continues Quek.

This case once again highlights the SPCA’s campaign to increase the penalty for persons found guilty of animal cruelty. The Animals Act 1953 states that a person guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animals will be fined RM200.00 or sent to prison for six months or both.
“A fine of RM 200, whilst princely in the 1950’s when the law was introduced, is paltry by today’s standards and is not a deterrent, even if it was charged for each animal in a case such as this. We have been lobbying the Government to increase the fine and jail sentence, and also impose lifetime-bans on pet ownership for persons found guilty of animal abuse,” Chin added.

"When people are cruel to animals they will be cruel to one another"- Herbert N. Casson

Call For ACTION

More Pictures & Story

Source: http: //www.spca.org.my/horse.htm