India
Man Arrested Over Killing Of Nearly 20 Community Cats In Mumbai
A 40-year-old man has been arrested after nearly 20 community cats were found killed and mutilated in Mumbai’s Chembur area.
Police identified the suspect after examining CCTV footage around Panjrapole and subsequently arrested him. Police say he confessed during questioning to killing the cats in a fit of rage, although investigators are still trying to establish his precise motive.
Local animal caregiver Rubeena Pathan had been finding mutilated cats over a period of time. Six were discovered on 4 September, followed the next morning by another dead cat and a kitten in severe distress.
An FIR was registered on 9 September under Section 325 of India’s Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Section 325 covers killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering an animal useless and can carry
Philippines
Animal Rescuers Warn Proposed Pet Surrender Fee Could Drive Abandonment In Davao
An animal shelter organisation in Davao City is challenging a proposed provision that would require people to pay a fee when surrendering dogs and cats.
The provision forms part of a proposed animal welfare ordinance, but rescuers argue that making surrender more expensive could have an unintended consequence: people who cannot or will not pay may simply abandon their animals instead.
That matters in a city already dealing with roaming animals and rabies.
Responsible surrender provides an opportunity for an animal to enter a managed system. Abandonment puts that animal onto the street and transfers the cost and responsibility to rescuers, communities and local government.
Fees may discourage people from casually relinquishing animals.
But if the alternative for somebody without the money is leaving a dog or cat on the street, the policy risks creating another problem rather than solving the first.
Animal welfare legislation has to consider not only what people should do, but what they are likely to do when the rules change.
United States
Community Cats Found Dead In Brooklyn As Police Investigate Possible Poisoning
At least seven community cats have been found dead in Brooklyn, New York, prompting an investigation by the NYPD’s Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad.
The cats were discovered beneath a deck in Bath Beach on 8 September. Their caregiver told local media that he had cared for many of them for years, including arranging vaccinations, sterilisation and microchipping.
He believes the animals may have been poisoned, and reports indicate additional dead cats have been discovered elsewhere in South Brooklyn. However, poisoning has not yet been established as the cause of death.
United States
Alabama City Prepares To Capture Free-Roaming Dogs But What Happens Afterwards?
After months of debate over an established population of free-roaming and abandoned dogs around U.S. Highway 280, officials in Sylacauga, Alabama, are preparing to vote on a coordinated capture operation.
Under the proposal, the Greater Birmingham Humane Society would provide veterinarians, veterinary technicians, capture specialists, traps, cameras, transport and behavioural assessments. Capture would primarily take place on private land rather than on the highway itself.
The dogs would receive physical examinations, vaccinations other than rabies during the stray hold, parasite treatment, heartworm testing and an initial behavioural assessment. Dogs needing immediate treatment could be taken to the Humane Society’s veterinary hospital.
Once a captured dog is delivered for intake, legal custody passes to the City of Sylacauga.
The city becomes responsible for the dog’s care during a seven-day statutory stray hold and ultimately decides what happens afterwards. The Humane Society can provide behavioural recommendations, but the proposed agreement explicitly gives it no control over the final disposition of the animals.
Officials are also considering restrictions on people feeding dogs within the designated Highway 280 business district because uncontrolled feeding is considered capable of interfering with trapping.
The council is due to vote on 15 September.
Malaysia
Three Cats Vanish After Alleged Cat Café Abandonment In Ampang
The whereabouts of three cats are uncertain after allegations that they had been left inside a closed cat café in Ampang, Selangor.
Images and video of the animals circulated online and an animal rescuer reportedly lodged reports with police, Malaysia’s Department of Veterinary Services and Ampang Jaya Municipal Council on 10 September. Attempts were also reportedly made to contact the business owner.
When police attended the premises later that evening, the three cats were no longer there and the shop appeared to have been tidied.
There is currently no confirmation that the business permanently abandoned the cats, nor has it been established who removed them from the premises.
That leaves the most important question unanswered.
Where are the cats?
If they were collected by their owner or another responsible person, their welfare should be capable of being confirmed.
Until it is, three animals seen inside a closed business have effectively disappeared from public view.
Philippines
214 Dogs And Cats Sterilised Free Of Charge In Iloilo
A total of 214 dogs and cats have received free sterilisation in the municipality of Oton in Iloilo province.
The programme, held on 9 September, treated 111 dogs and 103 cats. It was organised by Oton’s Municipal Agriculture and Cooperative Office in partnership with Biyaya Animal Care Foundation and the Iloilo Provincial Veterinary Office.
The initiative forms part of efforts to reduce unwanted litters, control dog and cat populations, promote responsible ownership and support rabies prevention.
Oton is also the eighth municipality in Iloilo reached by Biyaya Animal Care Foundation’s current spay-and-neuter caravan.
Sterilising 214 animals will not solve a population problem by itself.
But it represents something fundamental that is still missing from too many responses to roaming dogs and cats around the world: preventing the next unwanted litter before it exists.
While some authorities are trying to manage animals after they have been abandoned or born onto the streets, Oton is putting resources into reducing the number that will need help in the first place.
That is where sustainable population management begins.
End Of Bulletin