IIUM Lecturer Shares How The University’s Animal Club Cares For Strays On Campus
The stray cats are also used in programmes as therapy animals for students who are experiencing mental health difficulties.
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The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) Selangor held a press conference at their Ampang office yesterday (7 January) to annouce a RM10,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of the alleged serial cat killer in Universiti Malaya (UM).
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) senior lecturer Dr Zarinah Jan, who was also present at the press conference, shared about the Abu Hurairah Club, a student-led organisation of animal lovers and stray cat rescuers at IIUM Gombak.
READ MORE: Stray Cats Found Dismembered With Split Abdomen In UM Campus
The Abu Hurairah Club manages and cares for about 300 stray cats on the IIUM campus, including feeding and providing medical attention unless the animal has serious wounds only a veterinarian can handle.
According to Zarinah, there are also roughly 50 stray dogs that live just outside the campus’ premises.
“We can take care of small wounds but in serious cases, we will take them to the vet. We also work with other animal groups and non-governmental organisations (NGO) when we send cats to the vet and do crowd-funding.
READ MORE: “No Bite Marks, Lesions Likely Caused By Sharp Equipment” – Lily The UM Cat’s Autopsy Report
“This actually helps provide students with certain skills when they graduate, if they want to join an NGO for a similar cause, open a pet shop, or whatever they want to do (to help animals),” Zarinah said.
She also mentioned that about 50% of students in universities go through depression, stress, anxiety or some form of mental health difficulty and by learning how to help the animals, it serves as a form of therapy for the students.
“The club has monthly programmes where we bring the students in, we bring the cats in, and the students get to play and spend time with the cats. We work with our counselling unit, since they have the data, to identify students who have issues and we will try to help them with animal therapy,” she added.
READ MORE: Another Cat Found “Extensively Mutilated” On UM Campus
Zarinah explained that IIUM has about 150 food stations around the campus for the stray cats and any felines they rescue outside would be placed on the campus grounds under care.
She informed media that this system works and there has been no cases of animal abuse or dog attacks so far, as long as the animals are managed well.
Also speaking at the press conference was SPCA chairman Christine Chin, who said culling strays from a large space like a university’s campus grounds would create a vacuum that could lead other, possibly more dangerous, animals into the area.
She explained that the population of cats and dogs can be managed by neutering and spaying them as this will keep the animals calm, hence reducing their aggression not only towards each other but also towards human beings.
SPCA Selangor is collaborating with law enforcement, UM management, and other NGOs to investigate the cat killings in UM thoroughly.
The organisation said that rewards have been proven to be effective in addressing animal cruelty. A similar initiative in Penang halted poisoning incidents after a widely publicised reward campaign.
The RM10,000 reward aims to encourage whistleblowers, deter future incidents, and raise awareness.
Information can be shared with SPCA confidentially via 011-51189716 or enquiries@spca.org.my.
READ MORE: Police Say 4 Of 5 UM Cats Were Killed By Wild Animals Based On DVS Autopsy
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