KUALA LUMPUR: The number of people adopting pets or giving donations to animal shelters has come to a grinding halt since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced, a senior animal welfare officer from the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said.
Kelvin Cheah said the numbers dropped to zero as picking up adopted animals was not strong enough a reason for people to go out.
“The centre is open for adoption. Interested parties just need to make an appointment to pick up their preferred animals.
“But during the MCO, they can’t just leave home for that,” he said.
The shelter has suspended animal surrenders, educational visits and volunteer activities until June.
Cheah said rescuers were still coming in, though not many.
Unfortunately, he said, the centre could not keep the animals due to the limited space at the shelter in Ampang here.
“We have 120 dogs and 60 cats at the shelter, which is the maximum number of animals we can keep at a time.”
Cheah said the shelter was still helping rescuers spay and neuter animals to reduce overpopulation.
He added that the shelter had been managing well and its food stock could last until the end of the MCO.
Malaysian Animal Welfare Association founder Mukunnan Sugumaran said both his shelters in Hulu Langat and Sungai Long had stopped rescuing pets and arranging adoptions for the time being to adhere to the MCO.
But his biggest concern was the dwindling supply of kibble.
“Although we have recently received donations from some online pet stores to sustain us for the time being, we are trying to get more food to prepare for the worst-case scenario, like an extension to the MCO or a lockdown.”
Mukunnan said the association needed 25kg of kibble per serving to feed 120 dogs twice daily at the two shelters.
In Perak, Rohidayati Arshad, 47, only had 20kg of kibble to feed at least 120 stray cats at 15 checkpoints in Teluk Intan.
She needs at least 8kg of cat food daily to feed the strays and another 5kg to feed 120 rescued cats at her home in Taman Melor.
“A majority of the strays cannot get sufficient food, especially during the MCO as many eateries are closed. If we don’t feed them, they will starve.”
She said she normally went out after 7pm to feed the cats, and it would take her an hour to complete her rounds at all checkpoints, which are within a 10km radius.
Before the MCO, Rohidayati, who is self-employed, offered pet boarding services, while taking orders for snacks, but she has not received any business during the MCO.
She has been caring for the stray cats for the past eight years.
In Negri Sembilan, Mary Lee Yok, 62, feeds at least 30 stray dogs at seven checkpoints near her home in Seremban, on top of 16 rescued dogs she has at her home.
But Lee doesn’t feed the canine with dry kibble. Instead, she cooks fresh, healthy pet food made of rice, poultry and bones, and sometimes with meat and vegetables at her own kitchen every morning.
“I start cooking the food from 5am and usually finish in an hour. Then I get ready for my rounds,” she said, adding that before the MCO, she would carry out two feeding sessions, which normally ended at 11pm.
But since the MCO, she can go out only once to feed the strays in the morning.
Lee said she usually bought bones at a nearby chicken rice shop and would sometimes get them for free.
However, as most shops were closed, it was harder for her to get them.
The part-time investment adviser said most of the time, she used her own money, but sometimes she received donations from friends to feed the strays.
Lee is also caring for a rescued dog which is suffering from a skin tumour and she is in need of donations.
Rohidayati of the Tumbam Family Shelter can be reached at 017-876 8756, while Lee can be contacted at 012-257 1693.