Police Say 4 Of 5 UM Cats Were Killed By Wild Animals Based On DVS Autopsy

According to the police, the DVS autopsy reports on 4 of the 5 cats showed no signs of abuse by humans.

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Police confirmed four of the five cats found dead on Universiti Malaya’s (UM) campus grounds were caused by animal bites with no signs of abuse.

According to Berita Harian, Kuala Lumpur deputy chief of police Datuk Azry Akmar Yakob said the findings were from the result of autopsies and further investigations conducted by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).

Earlier, Azry informed that the police received reports of the discovery of five cat carcasses, each on 17, 20, 21 and 25 December, along with a report from yesterday (2 January).

“Results of the investigation and autopsy by the DVS showed two cat carcasses found on 17 December, with animal bites believed to be from dog attacks being the cause of death, with no signs of abuse or torture.

“Autopsy from two cat carcasses found on 20 and 25 December also did not show evidence of abuse by human hands. The autopsy found that the cause of death on these two cats are from severe injuries to the thoracic (chest) region, which caused bleeding in the heart area, leading to heavy blood loss and failure of the blood circulation system,” he said at a press conference in the Kuala Lumpur Police Contigent Headquarters today (3 January).

Commenting further, Azry said that the injuries on the cat carcass found on 20 December were found on three limbs, all of which were unevenly torn, with irregularly broken bones, and were not caused by any sharp object.

“The carcass of the cat found on 25 December had a fractured left rib, in addition to a tear on the heart which was punctured by a broken rib, and there were three different tear wounds on the abdomen,” he added.

Azry said as many as 11 recorded statements were taken among lecturers, claimants, auxiliary police, animal activists, and veterinarians.

“For the fifth case, the cat’s carcass has been given to DVS and the autopsy process will be carried out in the near future, and three recorded statements have been taken among complainants, friends of complainants, and the university’s security staff.

“Investigations are still ongoing and investigation papers have been opened under Section 428 of the Penal Code aside from investigations by the DVS under the Animal Welfare Act,” he said.

When asked about the closed circuit camera (CCTV) recording of the fifth cat, Azry said there is no recording showing the incident for now.

“The only CCTV recording available is footage showing the presence of a pack of about four or five wild dogs close to the location of the incident,” Azry said.

Regarding the presence of stray dogs on the UM campus, Azry said that the police and the DVS are in discussion with the university on taking further action.

Meanwhile, animal activist Shima Aris, who brought one of the mutilated cats to a private veterinarian clinic for an autopsy (which gave convincing results that the cat may have been dismembered by sharp tools), expressed on social media her disappointment of the narrative the police and DVS have taken regarding the UM cat killings.