By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, April 8: Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sarawak says that the dog that was allegedly shot in the owner’s compound in Matang recently was actually shot on the road, but it managed to escape to the owner’s house before it collapsed.
According to its director, Dr Adrian Susin Ambud, the video of the operation in the area was taken by a neighbour of the house owner who also posted it online.
“The sweeping team followed the SOP (standard operating procedure) at all times. There is no way the team personnel would have shot the dog in the compound of the house,” Dr Adrian told DayakDaily today.
He disclosed that he would give the final report to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas based on the actual report from the ground.
“On top of that, the team had also lodged a police report to rebut the allegation made by the person who took the video,” he said.
Dr Adrian was commenting on a recent news report that quoted Uggah, who is also the State Disaster Management Committee chairman, as saying that dogs that are kept in house compounds should not be shot with tranquillisers in order to vaccinate them.
Uggah also stated that part of instructions given to enforcement personnel involved in the ongoing anti-rabies operation.
“The anti-rabies operation is a very challenging operation. Sometimes, it may be easy for the enforcement to catch stray dogs but sometimes it’s not, especially when the stray dogs are running around by the roadside and can easily sneak into places.
“But we have given very clear instructions that dogs that are in compounds should be vaccinated and no one should shoot the dogs,” said Uggah after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of Agriculture Sarawak and Earthlings Coffee Workshop Sdn Bhd at the Old Courthouse Auditorium here on Saturday.
He was asked to comment on the recent viral video on social media that showed the operation’s enforcement team being told off by a member of the public for allegedly tranquillising a dog in a house compound.
Uggah had also said that he had seen the video concerned and was awaiting the report on the incident, which he hope to get by tomorrow (April 9). — DayakDaily
