By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, April 12: In a strategic move to curb the spread of rabies in Sarawak, the Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) will soon roll out a tagged community dog management programme and offer free rabies vaccinations for cats—marking a significant expansion of its efforts to promote responsible pet ownership and public health.
SSPCA president Datin Dona Drury-Wee revealed that under a grant from Yayasan Khazanah, a total of 100 female community dogs will be neutered, vaccinated, and tagged with a distinctive blue SSPCA ear tag.
This measure is aimed at helping local councils and the public identify treated animals and reduce the unnecessary capture of strays.
“We’re working closely with the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG) and the Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak (DVSS).
“The memorandum of understanding (MoU) is being finalised and will be signed soon with Deputy Premier and MPHLG Minister Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
“We’ve already tested the tag on one dog, and we hope to implement the programme very soon,” she said during an anti-rabies campaign at the MBKS Community Hall in Jalan Padungan today.
Dona said while it is unrealistic to eliminate all stray dogs from an area, managing them humanely through sterilisation and identification is key.
“It’s like clearing out gangsters—once one group is gone, another moves in. This programme will help stabilise the population of community dogs in a humane, trackable way,” she added.
At the same time, SSPCA is addressing a gap in rabies prevention efforts by partnering with veterinary pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim to provide free rabies vaccinations for cats, which have not been covered under the government’s current dog-focused vaccination drive.
“The rabies vaccination for cats will be fully sponsored by the supplier, so it will be free of charge,” she pointed out.
Under the same grant, SSPCA is also offering free neutering and vaccination for female cats and dogs, with only a small registration fee—RM20 for cats and RM70 for dogs.
Also present at the campaign were MBKS mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng and deputy mayor Dato Zaiedi Suhaili. — DayakDaily
