By Shahirah Aizah
Animals are a gift towards us humans given by God and we have a duty to protect them from extreme cruelty and any inhumane conduct inflicted towards them. Even though there have been existing laws that regulate animal’s right which can be found under Part V of the Animals Welfare Act 2015 on cruelty conduct to animals, it is nevertheless important for the public to take this issue very seriously as most deemed animals as just ‘creatures’ that do not deserve to be given attention. Culprits committing the offence can be convicted with a fine not less than RM 20,000 and not more than RM100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not more than 3 years or to both. I find the punishment imposed by the statute to be absolutely inadequate as culprits who are well off would be able to escape prison by paying the fine which is probably not that much to them. As of 26 March 2023, there has been a huge amount of animal cruelty cases which reportedly amounted to 889 cases. Therefore, the Malaysian Animal Association has demanded a stricter punishment which is to impose a minimum of 3 strokes of whipping. The rationale behind this is to create awareness that animal cruelty is not something that can be overlooked upon. Animals too, even if they don’t own a voice like us humans, they do in fact can feel pain and with that being said, this particular reason is enough to impose stricter punishment on those inhuman conducts. Laws are designed concerning animal cruelty to prevent needless cruelty[1]. For example, some laws govern methods of killing animals for food, clothing, or other products, and other laws concern keeping animals for entertainment, education, research, or pets.
The next awakening issue is on animal hoarders. Animal hoarders are not just people with many pets, they are people with mental illnesses or compulsive behaviours that can lead to criminal behaviour with terrible repercussions for the animals, the hoarders’ families, and their communities. Hoarders who operate under the guise of being “shelters” or “rescues” are a disturbing and increasingly prevalent trend. Raids on these institutional hoarding facilities have uncovered hundreds of sick, starved, injured, dead, and dying animals[2]. In fact, this is happening right here in Malaysia as recently, according to a news page, an animal shelter located at Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Langat (MPKL), is faced with criticism when it has been discovered that the shelter has been cruelly starving stray dogs which left them in a malnourished state. It was devastating to hear such news as it is only normal to give a licensed animal shelter our trust in taking care of those unfortunate stray cats and dogs. However, they treated those poor souls as if they were not creatures that can feel hunger nor pain.
Animals are frequently kept in tiny cages or crates that are stacked on top of one another by hoarders. Hoarders’ homes frequently have urine and faeces accumulating on every surface, which can lead to dangerously high ammonia levels that can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs. In these crowded circumstances, disease outbreaks and parasite infestations spread quickly. If food and water are provided at all, they are frequently insufficient.
Regulations cannot save animals from extinction on their own. It won’t happen unless we come to value and respect all forms of life, including those of humans and animals. If we continue to treat animals as property and ensure that we never use them as commodities, we can only guarantee their protection. One of the many reasons that animal cruelty is deemed not worthy of the society’s attention is due to lack of awareness on animal rights. We often hear campaigns on human rights but seldomly on animal rights. Current news should cover more on animal related topics so that the society can eventually open their eyes to realize that animals belong in this society and deserve respect and only kind conduct from us humans.
Therefore, there are two main points that can be highlighted in this article which is firstly, to impose stricter punishment in which to add whipping, minimum of 3 strokes on punishment for animal cruelty as well as to create awareness such as more campaigns and events that talks on animal rights.
References
Cruelty to Animals | Animals Are Not Ours to Abuse | Animals Are Not Ours to Abuse. (n.d.). PETA UK. Retrieved April 9, 2023, from https://www.peta.org.uk/issues/animals-not-abuse/cruelty-to-animals/
Kaul, T. (2021, April 30). Cruelty to animals. Times of India. Retrieved April 9, 2023, from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/twishak/cruelty-to-animals-31438/
[1] Kaul Twisha, (2021, April 30), Cruelty to animals, The Times Of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/twishak/cruelty-to-animals-31438/
[2] PETA UK, (n.d.), Cruelty to Animals, Retrieved from https://www.peta.org.uk/issues/animals-not-abuse/cruelty-to-animals/#:~:text=Every%20day%2C%20countless%20cats%2C%20dogs,daily%20realities%20for%20many%20animals.