At about 9am on Dec 2, 2006, Sabrina Yeap, managing partner of the Furry Friends Farm (FFF), rescued a dog at the Ki-Park Sri Utara construction site belonging to developer, Kepong Industrial Park Sdn Bhd (KIP Group). The site is situated about 10km from the Batu Caves roundabout, heading towards Sungei Buloh and Kepong.

The lower jaw of the dog was dangling and his tongue was hanging out. Two eye-witnesses who pleaded with Sabrina to help the dog, said they had seen him being beaten by Indonesian foreign workers who kept calling the dog “haram” as he was attacked.

Sabrina took the dog, which she later named Joy, to the veterinary clinic. Joy’s lower jaw was so badly injured it had to be surgically removed, but the tongue was saved despite having lacerations and blood clots.

As representative of RSC, I spoke to Mr Kok Pick Tong, one of the four managing directors of KIP Group which employs the workers that ill-treated Joy.

I requested permission for Dr Habeeb Rahman Ibramsa, who lectures in Quran and Sunnah Studies at the International Islamic University in Gombak, Selangor, to give a talk to all their foreign workers on Islam’s clear stand of compassion towards animals, including dogs. Mr Kok refused to co-operate.

On December 4, 2006, RSC sent an official letter to Mr Kok making this request along with the request by FFF for the KIP Group to bear all of Joy’s medical expenses and maintenance at the FFF, an animal shelter which has decided to adopt Joy. Mr. Kok has ignored all letters and telephone calls from RSC.

On December 6, 2006, RSC wrote to Dr. Subramaniam, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Tan Seri Datuk Seri Panglima Bernard Dompok, Minister in charge of the Public Complaints Bureau, and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The letters were sent out to these parties appealing to the government to be more pro-active in the area of animal welfare in Malaysia.

There has been much public outcry over the banning of a select number of dogs in Shah Alam, the mass “murder” of Mr Eng Her Sun’s dogs by the Seremban Municipal Council’s death squad ( http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/947146655 ), the cruel culling of birds by the Department of Veterinary Services during the bird flu scare, the increase in pet dumping and abuse of stray animals and pets.

RSC invited lecturer in Quran and Sunnah Studies at the International Islamic University in Gombak to give a talk to the Indonesian workers but the developer did not allow it.

Hence, RSC and FFF are calling for the Government to support their education programmes that are aimed at ending this needless violence towards animals. Next year is Visit Malaysia Year 2007, and already tourists are squirming at Malaysia’s ill-treatment and cruelty to animals – from wildlife to domestic pets.

“We are not asking the government to find and punish the people who did this to Joy, although the laws of Malaysia provide for this. We are calling on the Government to support our public education projects by persuading the developer, KIP Group, to allow us to educate their workers,” said Sabrina Yeap.