Langkawi MP’s Stray Dogs Relocation Suggestion Sounds Like A Horror Movie Plot? Here’s Why

Stray dogs resorted to cannibalism after a similar exercise was implemented in 2009.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

Following a recent case where a four-year-old boy was mauled by a pack of stray dogs in Langkawi, the island’s member of parliament Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah made a suggestion to relocate stray dogs to a special designated island.

According to media reports, he explained that the island could become an animal welfare center equipped with veterinary service facilities.

Mohd Suhaimi added that the issue of stray dogs was brought up in parliament since March 2023.

A rescued stray under the care of Langkawi animal sanctuary World Of Our Furry Friends (WOOFF). Image: WOOFF

“Langkawi Municipal Council (MPL) has taken careful action by building shelters. These dogs have been caught and given away but not euthanised due to opposition from animal lovers.

“Once again, since September 2023, I am bringing this issue forward in the House by informing these stray dogs bite people almost every week.

“But reports of these cases have not been amplified, in order to protect Langkawi as a tourist destination,” he said in a report by Kosmo.

He also explained that although MPL has acted through its own jurisdiction, Langkawi still lacks the funds to divert the animals.

A similar exercise resulted in stray dogs resorting to cannibalism

The plan to send stray dogs to a secluded island has the potential of backfiring, when their survival comes into question.

Back in 2009, British news outlet The Guardian reported a case where more than 300 stray dogs, caught by Malaysian villagers and dumped on a nearby mangrove island, had resorted to cannibalism to survive.

This incident involved residents of Pulau Ketam, Selangor, who caught the dogs and took them to Pulau Tengah to be rid of the animals which defecate on the streets and sometimes bit children.

A dog exiled to Pulau Tengah. Image: Flickr | Tian Yake

According to the report, the villagers said they did not intend to be cruel and believed the dogs could survive on Pulau Tengah’s wildlife.

A team from the Selangor Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) made a visit to the island and saw several emaciated dogs “hungrily feasting on the remains of another dog”.

Efforts to save the dogs at the time were slow because many of them were fearful of humans and would flee into mangrove swamps when approached.

Eventually, activists persuaded Pulau Ketam’s villagers to not dump any more dogs on the island and considered measures such as sterilisation and relocation.

In a report by The Star that same year, it was noted that rescuers faced a hard time rescuing the dogs on Pulau Tengah as they were fearful of human contact.

While the team of rescuers from SPCA and newsmen brought food to coax the dogs, they refused to approach the team.

The mission however did give the team at the time a better understanding of the island and the dogs there.

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.