Hi All,
This is an email to update the stray dogs situation on campus, and I have send the this email to UNMC Management. For some of you who may be wondered what have been happening with UNMCAW, I hope you find your answers here.
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1. i have documented a few photos of new dogs be found on campus. Also being reported by students through UNMC Animal Welfare asking me/us to help.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153416203324209&set=pcb.409455599251701&type=3&theater
2. There is a mother dog have gave birth to a litter of puppies, and I saw some of her puppies wandering around campus. She is still breast feeding her puppies, and I am not sure where her location is.
3. This is my following message to the management, and this email will be publicised on UNMC Animal Welfare and better inform the students about what has happened in the last few years. Our effort in initiating, participating, organising the best solution in keeping the stray dogs population to the lowest in UNMC Campus. Although I do not have rigid factual evident, as tracking stray population on campus is not an easy job, it requires a full-time monitoring, and document, every stray dogs on campus that is beyond my resources to keep track.
We started Animal Welfare, and got a few parties on board in TNRM program. (Trap, Neuter, Release, Manage) and because University doesn’t want to keep the stray dogs on campus, we spent times to find adopters, and get most of the dogs adopted out.
It was a lot of time and effort putting into it, so that the population gets under controlled – meaning, the existing stray dogs on campus that we can’t manage to trapped, they have their own territorial boundary to keep other stray dogs coming in. and the dogs that we manage to trap, we spayed the female so there is decrease in pregnancy and puppies. We are certain that before the “one-off Catch-Spayed-Relocate operation” There was only one last female left unspayed, and that is the only female that have recently gave birth.
i have ask around to check if fellow UNMC students feel the stray dogs issue has been managed, some of them told me that, they feel a lot better since they now can run by the lake, and it used to be so many stray dogs that they can’t run and enjoy jogging.
When UNMC Management decided to have an “one-off operation” I have known it wouldn’t works, but not given any space for negotiation into discussing why it wouldn’t work. For the various reasons:
1. It will messed up the existing stray territorial,
Which has been happening, Some of the dogs that meant to be captured during the process, has disappeared, and return to campus. With a few new stray dogs coming in (They are friendly to human, because they haven’t learn how to survive on campus like the others)
2. Rebreeding will happens in the future: when we first started, there are nearly 30+puppies on campus, 3 littles being born within the a same period. We have adopted most of the puppies out during that time.
3. Soon or later, the population of stray dogs on campus will increase, (and have been increasing).
UNMC – namely University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus,
I find it particularly irony, when it market itself as “Top Global University” and commercialise it in a way that seems prestige. When University Nottingham UK have such a huge support in managing dogs. Where they set up a puppy room for students:
“Twenty one young guide dogs descended on The University of Nottingham today to help students cope with exam stress. The Law Society’s Wellness Week hosted the pet therapy sessions with the aid of charity Guide Dogs.
Nine puppies at a time took part in the ‘puppy room’ sessions. The puppies involved in the event also benefitted by gaining vital socialisation skills to help them on their way to become guide dogs.”
(https://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/…/puppy-power-eases-exam-st…/)
In Malaysia Nottingham Campus, we have someone from the management discussing the best way to deal with the dogs is either shooting them or poisoning them:
http://nottingham-university.blogspot.my/…/doggy-position.h…
“I asked if any action have been taken against the dogs, and yes, shooting was the answer. But to do so it had to be done on open spaces. The deceased dogs are then replaced by newborns. The guards don’t know where they all come from, but they theorize that the owners were Indians from some near settlement. Numerous shootings have occurred for a long time, but there was no visible difference and has long been discontinued. The wild dogs are shot outside in the open fields away from UNMC, to minimize the risk of injuring someone on campus, of course.
Halls have also been secured with doors on each wing covered in wire and the posted signs remind people to keep the hall doors shut at all times. Due to the diversity of the student population, even the SPCA was discouraged to take action including catching due to some of their “concern’s on animals’ rights”.
The ‘main’ entrance for these dogs would be behind the sports complex near the nursery and the place where they live, according to the guards, is underneath the library and behind the Yellow building.
An OPINION to solve the problems was this: Make some poisoned Ramli burgers and drop it off where the dogs would hang out.
I thought to myself “Perhaps we could do this without telling the students” (this was my opinion). ”
Although this article is being published back in 2011, things have changes throughout the following years due to the students demand on better and humane treatment for dogs. Still, it provides some illustration of the mentality within UNMC Management that persists up till today. If we did not make any effort into voicing up, no one knows what would have happen to the stray dogs on campus.
I am not an extreme hardcore animal activist, I am just someone who can’t stand the double standard being put forward by any institution.
Let me get through this one more time,
1. Stray issues is indeed an issue in Malaysia, deal with it in the best way you can even if it takes a long time because dealing with any population control requires times (years of effort). Set a great example of being the top global university for others to follow.
2. Sensitivity sentiments of some community on campus regarding dogs. (That was one of the reason that I have got from the response, for why management need to have an “one-off operation” )
I have came across a few muslims who want to get involves, in helping us proactively. I don’t know what management means by “sensitivity of some communities” If you are talking about muslims, I can assures you that is not the case, http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/…/i-want-to-touch-a-dog-….
3. Dogs that are aggressive, I agree they need to be dealt with. The aggression of dogs come from many factors, they either has been trapped, abused, and learn the behaviours of “I should attack humans” as a protective coping mechanism, And they are aggressive during mating season. So, deal with the aggressive dogs and neuter every dogs.
4. Dogs have bitten students, how about those who are on campus that poured hot oil or water to the dogs? Yes, I have helped two dogs that covered in scares, fleshy raw skin open wound, and the vet suggests it is not skin infection, it is caused by boiling water. Their entire face has burnt, and still they were friendly to humans.
5. Feeding dogs on campus is not about encouraging dogs to stay on campus.
5.1: When dogs are hungry, they hunt for food with or without students feeding them. They go to rubbish bins and dumps to find food.
5.2 Human being is about caring, we have been domesticating animals since we ever existed in the universe. We don’t ignore starving animals just because it doesn’t help you to get more intakes and earn more money. We are human beings who care for lives, i am not just saying stray dogs, but every living being in the world. If there is a starving dogs on campus, feed them nicely at some location that is away from the cafeteria will helps them to feel less starving and go into cafeteria in order to look for food.
6. This will be my last email to the management regarding Stray Dogs Issues. I have tried my best in doing whatever I can for the university regarding the stray dogs issue. And over and over again, Management think there is a quick way to fix the problems, turn a blind eye to what we have been doing, and disregarding the best solution in managing dogs population. As much as I want to feel like I am part of the university, who can help and impact the university, it was disappointing on how “approachable” our university management is.
So in any case in the future time, when stray dogs population have flars up again, University management will be accountable for the consequences.
Sincerely,
Sengtat
UNMC Animal Welfare Group 